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Copyright Page<br />

This book was automatically created by FLAG on July 10th, 2012, based on<br />

content retrieved from http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6256762/.<br />

<strong>The</strong> content in this book is copyrighted by SACM4 or their authorised agent(s).<br />

All rights are reserved except where explicitly stated otherwise.<br />

This story was first published on August 20th, 2010, and was last updated on<br />

May 26th, 2011.<br />

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated - please email any bugs, problems,<br />

feature requests etc. to flag@erayd.net.


Summary<br />

1. Chapter 1<br />

2. Forks Encounter<br />

3. Firsts and Moz<br />

4. <strong>The</strong> Past and New Friends<br />

5. Family<br />

6. Bad Mood<br />

7. Discoveries<br />

8. Trusting<br />

9. Friends and Poses<br />

10. Having Fun and Sucking up<br />

11. Heists and Mice<br />

12. He did what!<br />

13. Red<br />

14. Halloween Fun<br />

15. Running Away Is For Sissies<br />

16. Secrets<br />

17. First Dates<br />

18. Don't Go Breaking His Heart<br />

19. Old Friends<br />

20. Invitations and Weird Explosions<br />

21. Moz Persuading and Carlisle's Mistake<br />

22. Heist: Part 1<br />

23. Heist: Part 2<br />

24. Telling and Planning<br />

25. Conning and Surprises<br />

26. Crying and Lying<br />

27. Searching<br />

28. Deceiving and Saving<br />

Table of Contents<br />

- 3 -


29. Surprises In Store<br />

30. Finally, Our forever<br />

- 4 -


Summary<br />

Bella is a teenage con artist looking for a place to settle down.Forks shouldn't<br />

have been it. Bella and some other characters are OOC. Cullens are vampires, Bella<br />

is human.<br />

- 5 -


Chapter 1<br />

Hi there! This here's my first Fanfiction. Take it easy on me and help me<br />

out. I usually read them but I got blindsided by an idea.<br />

It's going to be a long story and I've already started a few pages. By few, I<br />

mean 39.<br />

Anyway, Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight otherwise I would be reading all<br />

the time instead of wishing upon a star.<br />

I awoke to the sound of the plane landing. I arrived at the Port Angeles airport at<br />

night but I wasn't sure what time it was.<br />

I bumped into a few people and went to the bathroom. I locked myself into one of<br />

the stalls and looked at my findings. Two wallets and a money clip full of hundreds,<br />

it wasn't much but it was enough to get me by. I knew picking the first class<br />

passengers was a good idea.<br />

I took off my jacket, placed my hat on, and smothered my face in makeup while<br />

trying to slide on my skirt. I looked in the mirror and found I was unrecognizable<br />

from the girl who got off the plane.<br />

Good, that was my aim.<br />

I gave myself an approving nod in the mirror, rolled my eyes at my stupidity and<br />

went to the lost and found to return the wallets.<br />

As I was leaving, I realized I had no ride and needed to find a place to live in. I<br />

found a nearby biker bar and smiled inwardly.<br />

Perfect. Nothing better than besting macho men in their own turf. I struggled to<br />

look helpless, threw my belongings into a dumpster to retrieve later and headed<br />

inside.<br />

When I stumbled in (part of my helpless look) I looked around and headed to the<br />

bar.<br />

"Can I please use your phone? I need to call someone so I can head home." I<br />

pleaded with the barkeep.<br />

- 6 -


He looked me up and down, rolled his eyes, and tossed a phone at me.<br />

"Make it quick", he grunted and continued polishing his glasses. I never got why<br />

bartenders did that. Didn't they use their rags to wipe down the dirty surface as<br />

well?<br />

I dialed a weather station and pretended to argue with it.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> weather for today is high 70s and lows in the 60s while…" the automated<br />

voice droned on.<br />

"But Dad!" I whined, "How long would that take?"<br />

"Next week, we will have high chances of rain with possibility of…"<br />

"All right but you totally owe me dinner." I paused and then added "I promise, bye<br />

Dad" and hung up the phone.<br />

I tossed it back to the man and asked him if I could stay there for a bit.<br />

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea little girl" he said uneasily while looking<br />

around the room. "Why don't you stay in the airport?"<br />

"Bad experience" I lied and he finally relented when I made my face go into<br />

pleading mode. I inwardly pumped my fist while giving him the sweetest smile I<br />

could muster.<br />

I turned on my stool and surveyed the bar. My eyes zeroed in on a game of cards<br />

that was going on. I stood and sauntered over to the table.<br />

"What's the bet?" I asked.<br />

<strong>The</strong> whole table looked up at me, looked at each other and then broke out in<br />

laughter.<br />

"We don't want to steal all your money sweetheart." One man with a red bandana<br />

piped up before the table started in hysterics again.<br />

"Who said you would" I smirked while the men started sobering up.<br />

"Buy in's $1,000 darling" said Red Bandana as if I'd back out over that piece of<br />

information.<br />

- 7 -


I dug in my pocket, threw the money on the table and asked "This enough?"<br />

<strong>The</strong> men looked at each other begrudgingly and someone kicked out a chair for<br />

me.<br />

"Thank you" I smiled and collected my cards.<br />

Two hours later, I was joking around with my new buddies Jesse, Lin, Matty, Roe<br />

and Tack. <strong>The</strong> only one who still wasn't enjoying my company was Petey who<br />

thought I was cheating. I was but I kept my game at a constant by winning some<br />

games at random times and purposely losing at other times.<br />

"I don't believe you're this good" Petey announced while glowering at me from<br />

behind his cards.<br />

"Oh shut up" Lin drawled while leaning back on his chair. "You're jealous that<br />

she's wittier than you and one hell of a looker" he winked at me.<br />

I winked back at Lin and leaned over the table to address Petey. "How about a<br />

wager Petey?"<br />

"What kind of wager" he asked suspiciously.<br />

"Three games Petey, and I will give you every penny I have to my name if you win<br />

but if I win, I get…" I trailed off while tapping my finger on my chin pretending to<br />

think.<br />

"Yes?" he prompted impatiently.<br />

"Ooh. Temper, temper" I chastised while the other men laughed. Petey rolled his<br />

eyes and waited for me to continue.<br />

"If I win, I get your motorcycle." I finished.<br />

<strong>The</strong> men "oohed" at Petey while I sat back and raised my eyebrow. "You game<br />

Petey?"<br />

"I'm game" he huffed and I smiled in victory.<br />

20 minutes later, I walked out of the bar with my new keys while shouting<br />

goodbye to the guys who were jeering at Petey for losing one of his prized bikes. I<br />

would have felt bad but he had more and I really needed a ride.<br />

- 8 -


I collected my stuff from the dumpster and walked over to my prize, a beautiful<br />

BMW K 1300 S motorcycle that was black, white and orange.<br />

I giggled giddily and ran my hand over the smooth surface before revving it and<br />

waving goodbye to my new friends that had piled outside to see me off. Even Petey<br />

stopped his glowering long enough to give a small smile to my gleeful face.<br />

No one even realized that my "father" didn't pick me up.<br />

I was driving down the highway with the spare helmet Petey had and slowed down<br />

when I saw a large sign that announced "Welcome to Forks".<br />

I drove around as quietly as I could until I found motel and asked for a room.<br />

I locked the door, placed a chair under the knob, closed all curtains and laid out<br />

my belongings on my bed. A few passports in different names, petty money from<br />

various places, a few collections of knickknacks I could never part with, my<br />

sketchbook, my pencil and eraser, my knife, a few clothes, my laptop and my lock<br />

picking kit.<br />

Hey, you never know. Don't judge me. I had basically raised myself and I had to<br />

get by any way I could.<br />

I was untraceable and a damn good thief. I was a con artist that others considered<br />

a myth until they saw the telltale sign in the place of whatever I stole. I usually left<br />

an origami fox but if I wanted to really mess with someone's head, I created a<br />

sculpture out of metal. A keepsake of sorts, I figured.<br />

I was talented in many things but I liked to keep people guessing over what my<br />

specialty was by stealing random things. A painting here, an animal there, maybe a<br />

historical artifact, expensive cars, documents.<br />

But now, I was giving up my life as a con artist and settling down for my final<br />

years of life. I had several bounties on my head, not that I was worried because no<br />

one knew my true identity. I just grew tired of running every day and longed to<br />

settle down but it wouldn't be possible for me because a thief never settles in one<br />

place for too long.<br />

So I researched a small nobody town that never gets any action but was still close<br />

enough to big cities so that I can begin my new life.<br />

Here, I wasn't <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>; I was plain old, normal, Bella Swan.<br />

- 9 -


And it is going to stay that way.<br />

Well, how was it? Should I continue? Oh I hope so. I might just continue<br />

even if people don't want me to.<br />

Anyway, I'll be writing furiously for the next three weeks and try to update<br />

regularly.<br />

- 10 -


Forks Encounter<br />

Oh my goodness! Thanks to the people who put my story in their faves and<br />

story alerts! It's surprising.<br />

Anyway, I should probably warn that the story is going to be long. I like a<br />

lot of background. Sorry.<br />

I also want to let you know that I will be putting pictures up of some stuff<br />

on my page. So the picture of the bike will be put up soon. And many other<br />

pictures. I like researching.<br />

So, here's the second chapter. I'll make it a long one.<br />

Oh, I'm not rich so I don't own Twilight.<br />

I woke up the next morning at around 9:16 I figured. I had always had a good<br />

internal alarm clock and I depended on it during my travels.<br />

I packed up my stuff, hid it and went on my way outside to get ready for my cover.<br />

I walked around town and finally settled at a diner. Good, little places like these<br />

always held gossip and I could make meaningless connections for my benefit.<br />

<strong>The</strong> door jingled when I walked in and everyone ceased conversation before<br />

starting back up again in hushed whispers. Figures. Something new comes into town<br />

and I'm suddenly a freak show.<br />

I sat at a stool in the front while perusing the menu when a waitress walked up to<br />

me.<br />

"You're new" she stated.<br />

Wow. I didn't even get a 'Can I get your order ma'am?' or a 'How can I help you?'<br />

"That was blunt" I stated while she blushed and looked down at her shoes "but it's<br />

OK. I am and I need a bit of help."<br />

"What kind of help?" she asked with a smile now that she knew I wasn't offended<br />

by her previous remark.<br />

- 11 -


"I need to know if any houses or apartments are being sold or rented" I asked<br />

while she puckered her lips in concentration.<br />

"Sure" she said after a while, "We have a few! I'm almost done so I can show you<br />

the places and whatever you need."<br />

I nodded and asked for a muffin while I waited. What I wouldn't give for a<br />

Starbucks at this moment. When the girl finished, she bounced over to me and took<br />

my arm while I threw bills on the table.<br />

"I'm Jessica! I go to the High school here and I'm a junior! How old are you<br />

anyway? Are you here by yourself? Why are you here?" she fired off before we hit<br />

the first street.<br />

"I'm sweet 16, I am here by myself and I'm here because I wanted to come here." I<br />

answered calmly while following her.<br />

"Where are your parents?" she asked while we walked up to an apartment<br />

complex.<br />

"I don't have any." I answered shortly and waited for her to continue walking.<br />

She nodded and we spent a few hours going around the town and surveying a few<br />

apartments.<br />

"Aren't there any houses around here that are on sale?"<br />

"Sure" said Jessica "Can you afford it?"<br />

I nodded and we went to check a few more places before I stopped at one<br />

particular house.<br />

"It's perfect" I said in amazement.<br />

"We haven't even gone in" said a bewildered Jessica.<br />

"Oh yeah. Well, let's go!" I exclaimed giddily before pulling her along.<br />

I fell in love with the small house the more that I explored it. Best of all, it was<br />

private and it had a garage where I could tinker around with my new toy bike.<br />

I turned to Jessica and yelled "I'll take it!"<br />

- 12 -


Jessica scrunched up her face and said "I'm not a realtor though."<br />

"Oh. <strong>The</strong>n let's find one and tell them I'll take it." I reasoned and allowed her to<br />

pull me to the realtor's.<br />

To say that Mrs. King, the realtor, was surprised would have been an<br />

understatement.<br />

"You'll buy it?" she asked puzzled.<br />

"Yes" I asserted.<br />

"Today?" she asked again.<br />

"Yes" I was starting to run out of patience with her questions.<br />

"But you're a child!" she finally blurted out. Someone give this lady a round of<br />

applause and a giant check.<br />

"Ah, but I'm an emancipated child who has more than enough money to buy this<br />

house and the other ones I was showed today" I affirmed while taking out the false<br />

documents that would prove my point.<br />

"Here are the papers" I shoved at her "When would you like the money?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> money?" she asked as she slipped into the mindless dunce I had believed she<br />

got rid of.<br />

"Yes" I sighed as I continued to guide her through my purchase.<br />

<strong>The</strong> next day came and I brought in my meager belongings to my newly purchased<br />

house. I was giddy at the thought of decorating it to suit my tastes and started on a<br />

list of things I would need. <strong>The</strong> weekend would come but I did need essentials first.<br />

I went through town to purchase a mattress, sheets, and food. People would stare<br />

at me but I drowned them out by focusing on the music blasting through my ear<br />

buds.<br />

I had finished purchasing a mattress that would be delivered later to my house<br />

after bribing the delivery crew with a hefty amount of cash, so I went to the store<br />

nearby for the rest of my list items. I was perusing around the aisles throwing sheets<br />

into my shopping cart along with kitchenware when I felt someone about to touch<br />

- 13 -


me.<br />

I grabbed the hand quickly, twisted it, and pushed the person up against the Cap'n<br />

Crunch when I realized it was my helpful chatterbox Jessica.<br />

"Whoops" I said while releasing her and helping her stand.<br />

"Jesus, what was that?" she breathed.<br />

"Self defense" I dismissed before I admitted that I was about to break her neck.<br />

"Whoa, teach me some of that" she grinned.<br />

I coughed and asked "What's up?"<br />

"I saw you and wanted to know how your house hunting went! I also realized later<br />

that I don't even know your name! Are you going to school? Oh my gosh! If you are,<br />

we could totally hang out and then we could shop and we'd probably have classes<br />

together but…" she rambled on before I clamped my hand over her mouth.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> house hunting went great. I bought the house. I already called the school and<br />

I'm sorry, I feel rude. I'm Bella Swan."<br />

She squealed and we talked a bit more before I told her my stuff should have<br />

arrived at my house already.<br />

"I promise I'll see you later Jess." I called out to her while walking away to the<br />

cashiers.<br />

"How will I know you're there?" she asked<br />

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out" I hollered while giggling at my mental picture of<br />

Jessica with her mouth wide open when I arrived on my motorcycle.<br />

I paid, arrived at my house to see my bed and its pieces outside and began the<br />

process of bringing it inside to assemble it.<br />

By the time I was finished, I was pleased and couldn't wait to begin my school on<br />

Monday. I spent the free week before I started school tinkering around with my<br />

house and loving every minute of it.<br />

I rigged the house with secret compartments for my knives and stolen possessions<br />

- 14 -


while I set up my workspace where I folded and welded more foxes just in case I got<br />

antsy someday. It was always hard work to do the foxes but I made plenty so I never<br />

ran out.<br />

Every room in the house had a different color. <strong>The</strong> dining room was a warm red;<br />

the big space I called my Chill room was white, the living room was a soft sunny<br />

yellow while the kitchen was a different yellow, the garage was electric green with<br />

black striping, my bedroom was an ocean blue with music notes that went along<br />

with my favorite song going around the walls, and the bathroom had a beachy<br />

theme. One guest room had an orange and brown theme while the other had a pink<br />

and green theme.<br />

I ordered furniture and started adding décor to the different rooms. <strong>The</strong> only ones<br />

I put a lot of effort into were the kitchen, the Chill room, my bedroom and the<br />

garage. I didn't have much use for the other rooms so I just put a few quirky items in<br />

them.<br />

My room had my most personal treasures and postcards from the different places<br />

I've been to. <strong>The</strong> kitchen had a few metal signs that were café inspired and funny<br />

food signs as well.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Chill room was my personal favorite because it was a mish mash of stuff in<br />

there. One wall was just a bookshelf, another had the other souvenirs I had collected<br />

over the years, the third wall had random decorations that caught my eye, and the<br />

last wall had my entertainment system with two game systems so I could entertain<br />

myself.<br />

My garage would be a mechanic's dream come true because of all the gear I<br />

tucked in there. I planned on buying a car to tinker around with because I doubted<br />

motorcycles did well in snow. <strong>The</strong> garage was also my art studio and a workout<br />

space.<br />

I flopped down on my couch after a day of hard work and flipped on Finding<br />

Nemo. I don't know why I loved that movie so much. After watching my movie, I<br />

found it too quiet.<br />

I smacked my head and ran to the phone which I had also rigged so it would be<br />

untraceable along with all of my other electronics. After dialing a couple of<br />

numbers, I finally reached the person I was searching for.<br />

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite little convict. How are you? No, never mind<br />

that, where are you?"<br />

- 15 -


"Moz! I'm fine and you'd think you'd know me by now" I teased. "I need a favor."<br />

"What? You leave without telling me, leave me a few pets, and you think I'll just<br />

turn over like a dog and let you scratch my belly? Sure, what do you need hon?" he<br />

ended while I chuckled from his mini drama.<br />

"I need Fish. Oh, and Tuna as well." I told him.<br />

"Sure" he said "where do you need 'em?"<br />

I told him to meet me at a drop off point and we spent a few hours chatting about<br />

what we've been up to.<br />

I was laughing when I looked over at the clock and realized that it was getting late<br />

and I was tired from my housework.<br />

"I gotta go Moz, but it was great talking to you." I sighed while rubbing my eyes.<br />

"I miss you hon. When am I ever going to see you again?" he asked sadly.<br />

"You will on Sunday silly hound." I teased him. We both loved the movie "<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong><br />

and <strong>The</strong> Hound" and since I was already <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>, he decided to be the loyal hound.<br />

"Yeah I guess I will" he laughed "Love you Tod." He sighed.<br />

"Love you Copper" I whispered as we hung up.<br />

I dragged myself up the stairs and fell asleep.<br />

So, that's the second chapter ladies and gentlemen. Hope you enjoyed.<br />

Well, review! Tell me how you like it so far or your opinion about it. But<br />

don't be evil. Criticism and being mean are two completely different things.<br />

- 16 -


Firsts and Moz<br />

I just realized that some of the names were erased from Bella's schedule.<br />

That's the importance of proof-reading, folks.<br />

Thanks again to the people who added this story!<br />

I'm writing like crazy and staying up until about 1 AM to finish whatever's<br />

running in my mind. I'm driving my family crazy with all the typing since<br />

they have no idea what I'm writing.<br />

<strong>The</strong> stupid page breaks are driving me insane. <strong>The</strong>y don't show up!<br />

Anyway, thanks towishingforafairytale2010andEdward'sNewBella17for<br />

reviewing. Thanks for the comments!<br />

I think I'll add two chapters next time just to give you a little something<br />

special.<br />

I don't own Twilight. Sigh.<br />

-Break. -<br />

Sunday came and I was eagerly awaiting my three favorite things. I stayed hidden<br />

in the shadows until an SUV turned on the hidden dirt road I marked for Moz.<br />

Moz hopped out of the truck and I had forgotten how handsome he was. He had<br />

clear blue eyes, dark brown hair, a chiseled jaw, and a killer smile. He was peering<br />

around while I stalked behind him.<br />

As soon as I was about to jump him, he turned and caught me in his arms. He<br />

laughed and swung me around while we giggled like children.<br />

He pulled me into a bear hug and whispered "I missed you Tod".<br />

I tried to hold in the tears as I breathed "I missed you too Copper."<br />

He pulled back with shimmering eyes and looked me over.<br />

"Damn. You look good Tod. When did you turn into a hottie?" he grinned.<br />

- 17 -


I rolled my eyes and fanned myself with my hand "I've always been this hot<br />

Copper. You just never saw it." I jested.<br />

"How's Trina?" Trina was Moz's wife and I had to admit, she was a looker. We all<br />

got along great. <strong>The</strong>y were the best friends I ever had.<br />

"Good, she's good. She misses you too. Ever coming back?"<br />

"Naw, you cramp my style old man." I joked.<br />

"I am NOT old and what style?" he mocked being offended.<br />

I laughed and asked him "Where's Tuna and Fish?"<br />

"In the back. Tore up my seats too. You so owe me." He stated while opening the<br />

back door and out popped a giant mountain lion and a big red fox.<br />

"My girls!" I squealed while they bounded towards me. <strong>The</strong>y knocked me down<br />

and started licking my face while I tried to push them away.<br />

"Still don't know how you do that" Moz shook his head in wonder while closing up<br />

the door.<br />

"Do what?" I asked while shaking off my clothes from the dirt and debris and<br />

handing him the money for the seats.<br />

"How you get them to love you and care" he smiled in amazement while leaning on<br />

the door of his car.<br />

"I'm part animal myself" I winked while he laughed.<br />

"I always knew you were wild Tod. Well, I gotta get going" he said while pulling<br />

me in for a hug "Man. I'm really going to miss you. I don't even know how to get<br />

ahold of you."<br />

"Well, see I sort of thought of that and I came up with a plan." I said while burying<br />

my face in his neck.<br />

"Oh? Care to share?" he chuckled.<br />

"Yeah. I can either give you a souped up secret cell phone I designed or you can<br />

move close to here."<br />

- 18 -


"I'll take the cell phone because small towns give me the creeps. I'll come visit you<br />

though." He said while I chuckled at his reasoning.<br />

"Well crap. I don't have any soup." I giggled as I handed him the phone.<br />

He took it and sighed again "You look real good Tod. I know you don't believe it<br />

when I tell you but you're a knockout. You're going to break hearts in this small<br />

town."<br />

I blushed and looked down at my feet. "You're not too hard on the eyes yourself<br />

Copper." I smiled and he kissed my forehead before going to his truck and heading<br />

on his way home.<br />

I turned to look at my girls when he was gone and clapped my hands.<br />

"Follow me" I announced and set off through the woods.<br />

I was pacing through the woods with Tuna on one side and Fish on the other. I<br />

rescued them when I was about 11 and tried to set them free in the woods only to<br />

realize that they wouldn't stop following me. I eventually named them and kept them<br />

with me wherever I went. <strong>The</strong>y were the best pets ever and they got me out of some<br />

stocky situations over the years.<br />

I got home and went to sleep eager to start school tomorrow.<br />

Page Break to next day.<br />

I woke up at around 6:30 and started getting ready. When I finished showering, I<br />

dressed in black skinny zippered jeans, a Sanrio frog T-shirt with a green thermal<br />

underneath, A blue and black woven bracelet, my green guitar pick necklace, and<br />

topped it off with my white biker jacket.<br />

I grabbed a toaster strudel and chewed on it while pulling on my Grey Hannover<br />

boots. I grabbed my bookbag, set out food for my girls so I wasn't eaten alive when I<br />

got home, ran to the garage and jumped on my bike.<br />

I revved the engine, strapped on my helmet and left my house.<br />

I cruised in to the parking lot and notice there wasn't anyone here apart from the<br />

staff. I hopped off my bike and went to the front office.<br />

When I walked in, a red haired woman was singing along with the radio while<br />

- 19 -


making copies. When I snickered, she turned and looked mortified.<br />

"Don't worry" I assured her "No one can resist singing along to a line of Lady<br />

Gaga from time to time."<br />

"I apologize" she stammered "I thought I was alone. What do you need dear?"<br />

"My schedule. I'm the new student, Bella Swan."<br />

"Oh yes, of course! I completely forgot."<br />

She started rummaging around with some files and had me sign forms before<br />

handing me a schedule and a map.<br />

"Here's your schedule and a map of the school. Have this sheet signed by all your<br />

teachers. <strong>The</strong> buildings are marked and student parking is over there" she pointed<br />

out "Have a nice first day!"<br />

I nodded and waved my thanks. I walked over to my bike and headed over to the<br />

student lot which had filled up fast. I noticed that all the cars were slightly old<br />

besides the shiny silver Volvo in one space.<br />

At least someone had good taste in cars.<br />

My schedule went as follows:<br />

English - Ms. Tilly<br />

History - Mr. Vick<br />

Math -<br />

Art - Ms. Arnold<br />

Spanish - Ms. Salinas<br />

Lunch Break<br />

Biology - Mr. Banner<br />

Gym - Coach Brown<br />

- 20 -


I walked to my first class, English, when I felt someone come up behind me.<br />

"Jessica!" I turned as she looked pleased that I remembered her name.<br />

"Hey Bella!" she shouted loudly while shifting her eyes around and waving at<br />

people.<br />

Ah, it clicked.<br />

She was the gossip of the town which was why she was so nice during the house<br />

hunting. I couldn't believe I found the attention getter.<br />

I shook my head and listened to Jessica chat about the school on the way to<br />

English.<br />

After class, a boy with black hair introduced himself as Eric. He offered to take me<br />

to my next class which was history and I relented when Jessica nodded eagerly.<br />

We all walked to History and by the fifth class, I realized that the group of people<br />

got larger. Jessica turned and asked if I wanted to sit with her at lunch.<br />

"Are you off your rocker Jess?" I asked as her face fell "I don't know anyone else,<br />

who else am I supposed to sit with besides the person who saved me from motels?" I<br />

added to butter her up and she beamed at the attention she received.<br />

I didn't really care for the people she sat with except for a sweet girl named<br />

Angela who looked like she would be a great friend.<br />

I was munching on my pear, glancing around the cafeteria and grimaced when I<br />

noticed most people were focused on our table, namely me, the shiny new toy.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re was one table though, that didn't have their focus on our table so I stared at<br />

them. <strong>The</strong>y were beautiful. <strong>The</strong>re was a pixie with spiky short hair whispering to a<br />

lanky honey haired boy next to her. A blonde bombshell was picking her nails and<br />

trying hard not to crack a smile at whatever the huge bodybuilder with short brown<br />

hair was telling her. Finally, there was a bronze haired god watching them all with<br />

an amused glance. He had to be the best looking man I had ever seen and I had seen<br />

a lot of good looking people in my, er, line of work.<br />

Jessica had begun waving her hand in my face while I pried my focus off of the<br />

beautiful family.<br />

- 21 -


"What?"<br />

"What were you looking at?" Jessica asked with a frustrated expression "I was<br />

trying to get your attention for the last 5 minutes!"<br />

"Oh, sorry" I offered "Who are they?" I pointed to the table.<br />

"Oh, those are the Cullens. <strong>The</strong>y were adopted by the town's doctor, Carlisle<br />

Cullen, and his wife, Esme Cullen. She can't have children so it figures that the only<br />

thing she can do is adopt" she leaned in.<br />

"Jessica!" I reprimanded "That's not very nice."<br />

"Whatever" Jessica dismissed. I was really starting to dislike this girl.<br />

"Anyway, the blondes are the Hale twins, Rosalie and Jasper. <strong>The</strong> other three are<br />

Alice who's with Jasper, Emmett who is with Rosalie, and Edward, the bronze haired<br />

guy who won't give any girl the time of day. Don't try it, he's not interested." She<br />

warned while pointing out the family. I started to wonder when Edward had turned<br />

her down and realized what she had ended in saying.<br />

"Oh no" I reassured "I am not interested in going out with anyone."<br />

It would be very dangerous and foolish to have a date when I'm too busy trying to<br />

make sure no one catches me. How could I even begin to explain my Girls?<br />

I can't just bring someone into my home and say 'Don't worry about the wild<br />

animals; they're just souvenirs from a con I pulled a few years ago.' I'm sure that<br />

would go over very well.<br />

After lunch, I made my way over to Biology with Angela and an overly pleasing<br />

boy named Mike Newton. I had the teacher sign my slip when I noticed Edward was<br />

glaring in my direction.<br />

Crap. I had dealt with his type before. People who were angry for no reason really<br />

set off my temper. I settled into my chair and noticed that he moved away.<br />

I looked up with a glare of my own and noticed his eyes were coal black. His eyes<br />

flashed with hate and anger and I began wondering if he knew who I really was. I<br />

knew he wouldn't try to kill me here so I gave him my signature look.<br />

I didn't know what it really looked like but Moz always assured me it looked like I<br />

- 22 -


was going to do something evil and enjoy it. He called it the "Avenging Angel" which<br />

I didn't get to use much because not many people saw it. Whoever did see it would<br />

never live to tell the tale unfortunately.<br />

I never approved of killing and would hate to do it but I only did it to people who<br />

deserved it. I wasn't a bad con artist, but I wasn't a good one.<br />

Edward looked at me confused at my show of not backing down and kept glancing<br />

at me with a confused expression throughout the rest of the class. When class<br />

ended, he collected his books and rushed out of the classroom at a speed faster than<br />

I could ever hope to achieve. I was fast but not that fast.<br />

Mike slid over to my desk and asked me what class I had next.<br />

"Gym but I know where it is" I answered shortly, hoping he would leave me alone<br />

in my bad mood.<br />

His eyes shined and I groaned inwardly.<br />

"What a coincidence! Me too!" and he proceeded to grab my arm and drag me<br />

over to the gym.<br />

When I got there, the coach allowed me to sit out and watch. I noticed the Hale<br />

twins and Emmett were in this class as well so I watched them mesmerized. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

didn't seem to have too much trouble with the sports and they didn't sweat either.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y reminded of a few groups of people I had crossed paths with but it was<br />

impossible.<br />

I realized a girl I sat with at lunch named Lauren was in this class and she came<br />

over to me.<br />

"Stop drooling, you'll catch flies."<br />

I looked at her confused while she looked at me disgusted.<br />

"Huh?" I asked in my eloquent way. She scoffed and rolled her eyes while pointing<br />

at the Cullens.<br />

"What, did you think you'd, like, ever become friends with them? <strong>The</strong>y're all stuck<br />

up, and like, rude. I don't see why, like, their foster mom even adopted them." She<br />

replied as I noticed that the Cullens had stiffened and gotten hold of Rosalie who<br />

had turned in our direction. "But, I guess if you can't have them, you might as well,<br />

- 23 -


like, adopt."<br />

Maybe I was exhausted or was out of practice with teenage social skills, but I had<br />

grown tired of Lauren and Jessica's attitude with the Cullen's mother.<br />

"So what if she can't have children? That doesn't make her any worse than anyone<br />

else. I think it's admirable and she's amazing for adopting them." I seethed. "I never<br />

said I wanted to be friends with them or with anyone for that matter! If you don't<br />

have anything nice to say, then shut up or I'll do it for you!"<br />

When I turned to leave, I realized that Rosalie was right next to us with a slightly<br />

awed and surprised expression. Lauren was gob smacked and then her face turned<br />

terrified when Rosalie set her sights on Lauren.<br />

I snuck away while everyone gathered around to listen to what Rosalie was yelling<br />

at Lauren and walked to the office to turn in my slip. Edward was there and when I<br />

eavesdropped in the conversation, I realized he was trying to switch out from<br />

Biology.<br />

I squared my shoulders and cleared my throat to grab the attention of Mrs. Cope.<br />

Edward stiffened, quickly told her that it was all right, glared at me and rushed out<br />

of the office.<br />

"Have a nice day dear?"<br />

"Sure Mrs. Cope, it was fine" I replied tiredly.<br />

I walked out of the office towards my bike to find that it was surrounded by<br />

students. Had no one ever seen a motorcycle? I looked around at the old cars.<br />

Oh, I guess not.I pushed my way through the crowd and ended up next to Jessica<br />

and Mike.<br />

"Hey Bella, do you know who this bike belongs to?" asked Jessica.<br />

"Sure do" I replied while looking around my bag for my keys.<br />

"Well, whose is it?"<br />

"Mine" I replied making my way over to the bike, straddling it and placing on my<br />

helmet.<br />

- 24 -


"She just got even hotter" Mike whispered while the other boys just nodded<br />

dumbly.<br />

I laughed, revved the engine and tore out of the parking lot, cutting off the silver<br />

Volvo in the process.<br />

I was about to apologize when I notice Edward was driving it and laughed instead.<br />

It felt great to piss him off in some way.<br />

I arrived home and set about to feed Tuna and Fish. I was waiting for them to<br />

finish up their meat when I received a phone call from my favorite guy.<br />

"Y'ello." I answered<br />

"Blue" Moz quipped.<br />

"Silly Copper" I snickered. "What's up?"<br />

"Just wanted to see how you were doing." He explained when a scuffle went over<br />

the line and I got worried.<br />

"Don't say a word or your little friend gets it." A voice breathed.<br />

"What's he going to get?" I asked. <strong>The</strong>re was a long pause on the phone before the<br />

person sighed in defeat.<br />

"Damn, beats me. I should really brush up on my threats" giggled Trina over the<br />

phone.<br />

"How are you?" I asked while settling into my couch with my dinner.<br />

"Good, good. Moz is missing you too much and he wants to know all about your<br />

life. What's your new con this time?"<br />

"Going to high school."<br />

"What kind of a con is that?"<br />

"I'm going to steal the valedictorian so they won't get an uplifting speech at<br />

graduation. How will they ever reach their dreams when no one encourages them to<br />

do so?"<br />

- 25 -


"Brilliant" laughed Trina and Moz.<br />

We started to catch up and joke around when I realized that my Girls were<br />

watching patiently in front of me.<br />

"Hey Trina and Moz, I really gotta go. <strong>The</strong> girls are forming an 'eat Bella if she<br />

doesn't move' club."<br />

"I always knew you'd die in an exciting way" Trina said before Moz took away the<br />

phone.<br />

"Don't pay her any attention Bells. She's just angry because of the exciting<br />

lifestyle you have. Old people can't handle that much craziness."<br />

"Old? We're the same age!" exclaimed Trina from the background.<br />

"Yeah yeah. Anyway, go walk your girls Tod. I'll talk to you later."<br />

"Love ya!" I yelled before he hung up and grabbed my coat before I headed out to<br />

the woods with my girls for some exercise.<br />

We were going deep in the woods when I took to the trees. I loved swinging<br />

through the trees while Tuna and Fish chased me from below. In South America, I<br />

often took a tree route to escape with whatever stolen good I had gotten since no<br />

one thought "Hey, maybe she escaped like a flying squirrel".<br />

It confused people tremendously when I would plop down beside them out of<br />

nowhere and it would freak out Moz when he was waiting for me.<br />

After scouring the woods for escape routes (you never know), I headed back<br />

home.<br />

I plopped down in my bed after a long shower and my eyelids closed right away.<br />

Third chapter up! Whoo, things are on a roll.<br />

So, some of the corresponding picture will be put up on my site. Check<br />

them out, there's quite a few! I love Tuna and Fish! <strong>The</strong>y're my favorite. Moz<br />

is quite the looker too! <strong>The</strong> outfit is also there too. I didn't remember some<br />

of Bella's schedule so I made it up.<br />

Well, please review! Uh, later.<br />

- 26 -


<strong>The</strong> Past and New Friends<br />

Well, I must thank people once again for reviewing to my story!<br />

I had a bad day at work so I'm working on a few pages furiously. I'm at 61<br />

pages now! That's a lot to me. And I still have more to write.<br />

So, sorry if you guys don't like long stories<br />

I just found out that they're cutting the electricity at my house today in a<br />

few hours so I'll post the two chapters now.<br />

Bella: Tell them who Twilight belongs to.<br />

Me: (grudgingly) Stephenie Meyer.<br />

Bella: And who are you?<br />

Me:NotStephenie Meyer. Sigh.<br />

Bella: Good girl. *pats my head*<br />

<strong>The</strong> next morning, I awoke to the feeling of Fish rubbing her head on my hand.<br />

Tuna was flicking her thick tail back and forth and tugging on my covers so I'd get<br />

up.<br />

"Let a girl have some sleep" I mumbled while pulling on my covers again but Tuna<br />

just pulled harder.<br />

"Ugh! Fine. Tuna 1, Bella 0" I grumbled while getting ready for today.<br />

I felt better today now that I had my girls and I wanted to feel powerful so I threw<br />

on a striped yellow shirt with some boot cut jeans. I placed a yellow headband on my<br />

head, threw on my yellow<br />

chucks, snatched my black motorcycle jacket and headed to the kitchen. I placed<br />

the meals for the girls in their bowls and grabbed a tangerine on my way out.<br />

When I got to the school, I noticed the Volvo was there and smiled in anticipation<br />

- 27 -


for the opportunity to annoy Edward Cullen.<br />

I headed over to English and began rolling around ideas of how to get my revenge.<br />

I chuckled at my carefree attitude. I had never had the luxury to be carefree, even<br />

before I became involved in the<br />

criminal arts.<br />

-Flashback moment! -<br />

I had to grow up quick after my mom died and my father had disappeared. I<br />

started stealing because my mom had a habit she couldn't kick and my dad didn't<br />

get involved because he was in worse<br />

trouble with bad people. He disappeared when I was a toddler and my mom coped<br />

with whatever drugs that could help her forget.<br />

I got into conning by mistake. One day when I was 8, I had been walking home<br />

from school and someone was performing magic tricks on the side of the road,<br />

illusions to be exact, and I got fascinated.<br />

I took it up quick and began making larger things disappear or appear out of<br />

nowhere.<br />

On one particular day, I was hungry and had to get food but the kitchen was bare.<br />

My mother told me that to get food, I had to pay up but I had no idea what she<br />

meant until some creepy men showed<br />

up and started looking at me oddly. I performed a magic trick for them with their<br />

wallets and after a while, they grew tired of it and sent me away. I walked away with<br />

$43 and sat at a diner chewing on<br />

my burger and shake when someone slid into the booth across from me.<br />

"What's a small fry like you doing here by yourself?" asked a lean, handsome<br />

teenager while stealing one of my fries.<br />

"Do I look deep fried to you?" I sniffed at him.<br />

He laughed "You got spunk kid. What's your name?"<br />

"Bella. Yours?"<br />

- 28 -


"Moz. What are you doing here by yourself?" he asked.<br />

"I needed food and my mom wouldn't give me any" I told him.<br />

"How'd you get the money to pay for this?"<br />

"I borrowed it."<br />

He squinted his eyes at me and then grinned. "I have a feeling borrowed was the<br />

wrong word. How'd you really get the money? I promise I won't tell."<br />

I fidgeted with my straw and mumbled "I stole it from the guys she was with by<br />

showing them a magic trick."<br />

He doubled over in laughter. "A magic trick? Wow, you gotta show me that. Wait,<br />

maybe not or I'll end up broke."<br />

I grinned widely and every week, we fell into a routine to meet up at the same<br />

diner at the same time.<br />

A couple of months later, I anxiously sat in the booth waiting for Moz to arrive. As<br />

soon as he saw me he knew something was wrong.<br />

"What's up tiny?" he asked worriedly.<br />

"It's my mom Moz. She's not… I mean she…what she did was…. She's gone." I<br />

ended as tears streamed silently down my face.<br />

"Gone how?" he asked while scooting over to my side and stroking my head.<br />

"I got home from school when I found her on the couch. I figured she took a lot of<br />

her 'medicine' because of the needles and when I touched her, I noticed her eyes<br />

were open and she was ice cold. So<br />

I ran out of there as fast as I could and came here." I blubbered out.<br />

"Oh sweetie" breathed Moz "I'm so sorry that happened. Do you have anyone you<br />

can stay with?"<br />

I shook my head and wiped my tears to look up at him.<br />

"What am I gonna do Moz? I can't go to an orphanage! I don't want to!" <strong>The</strong>n, an<br />

- 29 -


idea sprung in my head. "Can I stay with you?" I looked up to Moz with a pleading<br />

gaze.<br />

He scrunched up his eyebrows and scratched the back of his head.<br />

"I don't know Tiny, I don't exactly make an 'honest' living." He hedged.<br />

"SO?" I exploded "I'm not exactly the most innocent 8 year old and if I recall, I<br />

taught you how to pick pockets better so you'd get caught less."<br />

He rolled his eyes and thought about it for a while.<br />

"All right, I'll tell you what. Before we get into this, I'm going to warn you that to<br />

get by, we're going to have to do a lot of 'borrowing' to get by in life. Think you can<br />

handle that?"<br />

I nodded eagerly while he stuck out his hand to shake.<br />

"We'd better get your stuff Tiny, and then we gotta make an emergency call."<br />

We ate for a bit and then we set off to my house. When we got there, I packed up<br />

whatever I could into two packs, took some money I had gotten from a few<br />

'winnings', and removed the few pictures<br />

of me that were showing.<br />

My mom never liked to put up my pictures for fear that her companions would be<br />

turned off. As soon as I finished, we headed over to a nearby gas station and dialed<br />

911 to anonymously fill them in of<br />

my mother's conditions.<br />

We arrived at Moz's house and we trained to become good con artists. After a<br />

while, we travelled a few countries and Moz noticed that I was quiet and sly during<br />

whatever con we were pulling. He<br />

nicknamed me <strong>Fox</strong> after a while and the name stuck. I got to be recognized when I<br />

started leaving the origami foxes, one of the skills I learned in Japan.<br />

I became a feared criminal because I would not only steal from innocent people,<br />

but from other con artists as well. No one felt safe with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong> around and Moz<br />

made sure to freak more people out by<br />

- 30 -


making up stories about me while I eavesdropped in the shadows.<br />

Over the years, we pulled cons apart when I noticed Trina at a store. She was<br />

having trouble picking someone's purse and I finished the job for her.<br />

She looked bewildered when I gave her what she had been searching for and we<br />

went to go have drinks.<br />

Well, she had a drink while I had a ginger ale.<br />

I invited her over to my place and Moz fell in love at first sight. We became a tight<br />

knit group after a while and have been that way ever since.<br />

-Flashback over! -<br />

Trina would be excited at the prospect of me purposely chasing a boy to annoy<br />

him. She always thought I shouldn't have become a criminal at that young age but<br />

now that I found someone to annoy,<br />

she would blow it out of proportion.<br />

When I got to lunch, I scanned the cafeteria for his bronze head but my search<br />

was cut short by someone.<br />

"He's not here" said a musical voice. I whipped around to see Alice behind me<br />

picking up a Jell-O cup.<br />

"I have no idea what you're talking about" I said as if I was really confused.<br />

She snorted. "Right"<br />

We continued moving ahead in line when she piped in again.<br />

"Thanks"<br />

"For what?" I asked while ransacking my brain to find out if she was being<br />

sarcastic or when I ever did anything nice for her in particular.<br />

She peered at me with her honey eyes and shook her head.<br />

"For sticking up for my mom the other day. I heard through Rosalie, Jasper and<br />

Emmett about what you said in gym class to Lauren. Not many people do that and it<br />

- 31 -


was real nice of you to defend<br />

someone you don't even know."<br />

"Uh, sure. I don't think it's polite to badmouth others so I try to keep it from<br />

happening", I smiled at her.<br />

"Well, it was nice either way. Well, see you" She said and walked away to her<br />

table.<br />

"Bye" I said softly and made my way over to my own table.<br />

People were surprised that Alice had talked to me. I shook my head and ate my<br />

cheetos while people offered ideas of what they thought I bribed her with.<br />

"How'd you really do it Bella?" Jessica asked after a while.<br />

"I didn't do anything Jessica" I scoffed "Maybe she finally found someone to talk to<br />

that didn't insult her mom." I replied while leveling a scowl at Lauren and a<br />

reproving look to Jessica.<br />

"Oh Christ Bella, get over it" Lauren growled while Jessica glared at me. Seems<br />

like I had found a few enemies at this table.<br />

Biology passed and I found myself in gym at a glaring match with Lauren.<br />

"You're great with people" someone boomed and I turned to see Rosalie, Jasper<br />

and Emmett chuckling quietly.<br />

"Oh, I'm loads of fun" I stated "Especially when insulting others. Who doesn't like<br />

a few insults every now and then? It keeps life interesting."<br />

"You're plucky! I like you. My name's Emmett. This here's Jasper and the hottie<br />

with a body is my shaggin' babe, Rosalie."<br />

I laughed at Emmett's introduction while Rosalie smacked him upside the head.<br />

"I'm Bella, the sneakiest chick you'll ever meet." I stuck out my hand. Emmett<br />

laughed and stated he didn't believe me.<br />

"I'll make you a believer one day" I assured while they eyed each other with a<br />

skeptical look.<br />

- 32 -


We were split into teams for soccer and started playing. I was in a team with<br />

Rosalie while Jasper and Emmett were on the other team. Our groups weren't into<br />

the game so it turned out to be a match<br />

between me and Rosalie versus Emmett and Jasper while the others stayed in the<br />

sidelines.<br />

We were evenly matched for most of the game but near the end, Emmett and<br />

Jasper won.<br />

"Good game!" bellowed Emmett while Jasper and Rosalie agreed.<br />

"Where'd you learn to play like that?" asked Jasper.<br />

"Brazil"<br />

"When did you go to Brazil?" asked Rosalie<br />

"I went when I was about 10 or 11" I answered and hoped that they stopped going<br />

further with their questions. I couldn't exactly tell them it was a heist I was really<br />

there for.<br />

"Well you got skills" replied Emmett.<br />

"Aw shucks, I'm blushing big guy."<br />

He laughed and then we headed over to the locker rooms to change.<br />

Over the weeks, I got closer to all of the Cullens, even Rosalie had warmed up to<br />

me, and eventually ended up sitting with them at lunch every day. I loved Alice like<br />

the sister I never had, Emmett was<br />

a riot, Rosalie was great to banter with, and I could get into long conversations<br />

with Jasper over anything. Edward never came back and I felt bad that it was my<br />

fault he left his family.<br />

Alice reassured me it wasn't my fault while the others nodded their heads<br />

furiously.<br />

"He just has his head up his ass" Rosalie said.<br />

"Well I hope he washes his head and comes back" I said with s straight face. It<br />

- 33 -


didn't work. As soon as Emmett cracked a grin, we all howled with laughter. I took<br />

us a bit of time to calm down.<br />

"You guys look like you really miss him" I added quietly.<br />

"We do" Emmett said "But we also got a great friend now" he added quickly with<br />

an eager gaze at me.<br />

"Thanks" I beamed "I think of you guys as my second family."<br />

"Who's your first?" wondered Alice while the table swung their heads to look at<br />

me.<br />

"Erm, my best friends who live somewhere else" I answered vaguely. I really<br />

hoped they would drop this subject.<br />

Alice was about to ask something else when the bell rang. Phew, I was literally<br />

saved by the bell.<br />

During gym, I hoped that the Cullens forgot about the vague answers but no such<br />

luck. Rosalie was making a beeline towards me to ask again when I blurted out<br />

something I knew would distract her.<br />

"Rosalie, want to go car shopping with me?"<br />

I had learned a lot about the Cullens during my time with them and remembered<br />

Rosalie was a car fanatic. It worked. She widened her eyes and broke out into a<br />

giant smile before informing me that<br />

Alice would probably want to go too.<br />

"Why?" I asked "It's not clothes we're shopping for, it's a car."<br />

"But we're shopping" she emphasized.<br />

"Sure" I sighed "<strong>The</strong> more, the merrier."<br />

After school, Emmett and Jasper decided to go as well because they claimed car<br />

shopping was a guy thing and us ladies didn't know what we would have to look for.<br />

Rosalie looked at Emmett with a<br />

murderous glare before he realized what he said and I excused myself by telling<br />

- 34 -


them I would meet them there.<br />

As I drove home, I made sure to feed Tuna and Fish before setting them outside so<br />

they could run and play. I grabbed some cash and my cell phone before heading<br />

over to the Auto dealer.<br />

When I pulled up, I saw Emmett pouting and a better tempered Rosalie while<br />

Jasper and Alice were off to the side in their own little world.<br />

"Hey Bells, ready to go car shopping?" shouted Rosalie while the rest waved.<br />

"Sure am, let's get this show on the road." And we went off to look for the perfect<br />

car.<br />

"What kind of car did you want Bella?" asked Rosalie while peering at the car<br />

information sheets.<br />

"An SUV with tinted windows" I replied.<br />

"Why tinted?" asked Jasper.<br />

"So nosy people won't notice the mysterious lump in the backseat."<br />

Jasper and Emmett snickered before heading off to look for SUVs in another<br />

direction. We continued looking for some time until Alice squealed loudly.<br />

"I found the leading contestant!" She yelled.<br />

"I'm buying a car Alice, not dating it."<br />

I hated to admit it but Alice was right. It was a beautiful car and one of the top 10<br />

for fastest SUVs in the world. It was sleek, black, had the tinted windows for my<br />

Girls and I fell in love with it right<br />

away.<br />

"Whoa" Rosalie and I breathed.<br />

"You're drooling ladies and I think Joey Lawrence just got paid somewhere"<br />

chuckled Emmett.<br />

"Where's the car dealer because I think I'm sold!" I said giddily.<br />

- 35 -


<strong>The</strong> Cullens laughed while Rosalie dragged a love struck car dealer behind her to<br />

make my purchase legal. I found myself at the Cullen's house after my purchase.<br />

Rosalie wanted to test drive my new<br />

baby and I agreed after offering her to enhance it together later.<br />

"Bella you rock!" she beamed while cruising down the highway to her house.<br />

"Thanks but make sure to take it easy on Wren here."<br />

"Wren?" she asked perplexed.<br />

"Yeah, Wren. That's her name."<br />

"Why would you name your car Wren?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> name Beulah didn't seem to fit."<br />

She laughed heartily as we pulled up to her house where the others were already<br />

waiting.<br />

"Hey Bella, want to play a game?" asked Emmett giddily.<br />

"Sure Brother Bear" I answered while Emmett looked perplexed. After a while, he<br />

barked out a laugh and pulled me in.<br />

"All right Koda, what are we going to play?"<br />

We settled on playing Monopoly when a beautiful woman walked in.<br />

"Kids, aren't you going to introduce me?" she asked.<br />

"Sorry Esme" chirped Alice "This is Bella, our new friend. Bella, this is Esme, our<br />

foster mom."<br />

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Cullen" I replied bashfully while extending my hand but<br />

she surprised me by pulling me in for a hug.<br />

"You're the Bella that defended me!" she exclaimed when she pulled away. I<br />

nodded and she added, "I wanted to thank you for defending me even if you were<br />

not sure who I was. It was an amazing<br />

- 36 -


thing to do."<br />

"No problem Mrs. Cullen" I assured "It was the right thing to do and I wouldn't<br />

have had it any other way."<br />

"Either way, I thank you for that and for befriending my children. And please, call<br />

me Esme."<br />

"All right, enough with the introductions, I want to buy ALL the railroads!"<br />

Emmett yelled.<br />

We started playing Monopoly for a while and I was beating them when all of a<br />

sudden, the door burst open.<br />

"Hey guys, whose car is… What the hell is this?" asked a furious velvet voice. (AN:<br />

I was about to leave this as a cliffhanger.)<br />

We all turned to find Edward fuming at the door way. Nobody moved a muscle.<br />

"Monopoly!" Emmett blurted out while we all looked at him like he lost his<br />

marbles.<br />

"Uh, this has been fun guys but I'm going to let you guys have a little family<br />

reunion. Make some T-shirts and have some corn on the cob or something while<br />

singing Kumbaya, I'm out." I said while<br />

picking up my stuff and running out of the house at the fastest speed I'd ever run.<br />

I peeled out of the driveway at a break-neck speed and tried to calm my frazzled<br />

nerves.<br />

I headed home and watched some mindless cartoons while stroking Tuna's tawny<br />

head and Fish snuggled up to me on the other side. I fell asleep on the couch while<br />

thinking about how awkward it<br />

would be on Monday now that the last Cullen was back from his unexplained<br />

absence.<br />

Ooh… Edward's back. Dun dun DUUUUHN! And we got to learn about<br />

Bella's past as well!<br />

- 37 -


Fourth chapter!<br />

Can I get a Whoo whoo? Actually, don't otherwise, there's going to be<br />

people going "Why's that random stranger making train noises at a<br />

computer?"<br />

Anywho, please review.<br />

Ha. That rhymed!<br />

I'm stopping now. Honest.<br />

- 38 -


Family<br />

Like I promised, here is the next chapter. I should really make more<br />

cliffhangers or shorted chapters. What do you guys think?<br />

Anyway, have fun reading!<br />

Oh, Twilight is as much mine as Matt Bomer is. Not at all.<br />

<strong>The</strong> weekend came and I drove up to Moz's house to visit with my girls cuddled up<br />

in the backseat. I had upholstered a tightly woven material that was unbreakable so<br />

that Tuna didn't scratch the<br />

seats up with her giant lion paws.<br />

On my long journey, I started worrying about the impending Monday. I had been<br />

ready to invite the Cullens over to my home and reveal my long past.<br />

All of that changed as soon as he walked in.<br />

I noticed that everyone had frozen while he was standing there fuming. It had hurt<br />

that no one jumped to my defense and I realized that family always comes before<br />

friends and that's probably how it's<br />

going to stay.<br />

I shook my head from the memories and looked up to find Moz standing on his<br />

steps beaming at me.<br />

I parked the car and hopped out to hug him fiercely.<br />

"Whoa, where's the fire?" he asked surprised.<br />

"Nowhere, I just really missed you" I sighed while still holding on.<br />

"What about me?" pouted Trina from behind him and I threw myself at her while<br />

she laughed at my enthusiasm.<br />

"Aw, Trina got more love than me. No fair Tod." Moz mock glared at me with his<br />

- 39 -


arms crossed.<br />

"I know who missed you more" I sang while opening the back door to let Tuna and<br />

Fish hop out. <strong>The</strong>y bounded towards Trina and Moz to pepper them with licks on<br />

their faces.<br />

"Ugh, what did you feed Tuna? Her breath smells rank" Moz wrinkled his nose.<br />

"A possum I found on the highway" I replied while winking at Trina.<br />

Moz looked disgusted before running to the bathroom to wash the spit off his face.<br />

Trina and I laughed at him while heading to their yard to catch up.<br />

"What you been up to?" questioned Trina while serving us some lemonade with<br />

sprite.<br />

"Same old, same old. Conning teenagers into thinking I'm one of them while<br />

robbing their lockers for homework so they'll stay back a grade. It's a simple but<br />

devious crime. <strong>The</strong>y'll all stay in 11th grade<br />

forever."<br />

"Ha ha, cute. What have you really been up to? Made any new friends? Have any<br />

boys caught your eyes yet? Killed anyone?"<br />

"What?" Moz thundered "Bella will not be going out with boys! She's too good for<br />

any of them."<br />

"Oh hush" Trina waved him away "I don't see why you get all bent out of shape<br />

when Bella finds interest in a member of the opposite sex."<br />

"Sex is another thing that is forbidden!" choked out Moz while pointing his finger<br />

at me.<br />

Trina and I exchanged glances before staring at Moz.<br />

"I think he likes you more than me!" Trina stated with a raised eyebrow. Moz's<br />

face lost all color and he quickly tried to backtrack.<br />

"No, no, no honey! I meant that Bella is just close to me and I… but not closer<br />

than you! No, she's nothing! Well, not nothing! She's more like a sister. Yeah! A<br />

sister! She shouldn't get close to anyone<br />

- 40 -


ecause she's a criminal and she's too young and I love you honey and Bella but<br />

not in the same way because you're both…"<br />

"All right, I think we get it" I cut off before he rambled the day away. "And Moz,<br />

how can you say I'm nothing? After that night, I thought I was your Numero Uno." I<br />

teased while Trina tried to keep her<br />

face straight.<br />

"What? <strong>The</strong>re was no such night! Trina, there was no night, believe me baby! I<br />

don't even know what she's talking about!" Moz pleaded with Trina.<br />

Trina opened her mouth to yell at him when she doubled over in laughter. Moz<br />

realized he had been tricked and he stood up with a frown.<br />

"Christ Bella, don't do that. I'm going to wrestle around with Tuna and Fish. At<br />

least they can't talk."<br />

He got up, walked to my girls and ran around the backyard with a ball while Tuna<br />

and Fish jumped and ran behind him.<br />

"So, back to the topic" Trina prompted "Any new boys, friends, or enemies? Dish,<br />

dish, dish!"<br />

"Ok, ok. No boy has caught my eye. <strong>The</strong>y're all too… small town. I made a few<br />

enemies but it's nothing I can't handle."<br />

"Anyone who crosses you never had a chance in the first place" muttered Trina. I<br />

laughed but continued.<br />

"I made a few new friends but their brother hates me. He actually left school for a<br />

few weeks while I got closer to his siblings. <strong>The</strong>ir names are Alice, Rosalie, Jasper<br />

and Emmett. <strong>The</strong>y're wonderful." I<br />

trailed off playing with my napkin.<br />

"But?"<br />

"But what, Trina? I can never get close to them because of who I am and when<br />

their brother came home unexpectedly, they didn't even try to defend me and just<br />

let me leave." I exploded while trying<br />

- 41 -


to keep the tears at bay.<br />

"Oh honey" Trina whispered. "<strong>The</strong>re are always going to be people who will let<br />

you down but never forget that we're here for you and we're never going to leave<br />

you."<br />

We sat quietly before Trina left me to go play with Moz and my girls. I sat and<br />

watched them play when a thought occurred to me.<br />

Trina was right. I did have a family and I was looking right at them. Moz was the<br />

brother and father I never had, Trina was my best friend and a better mother than<br />

my own, and my girls were the<br />

furriest siblings I was proud to have.<br />

I smiled at the thought and ran to join my family.<br />

<strong>The</strong> weekend passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to head back to<br />

Forks. I tucked the girls into the backseat of my car, shut the door, and turned to<br />

Moz and Trina.<br />

"I'll miss you Tod" Moz sighed sadly while scooping me into a lung crushing hug.<br />

"Me too Copper, me too." I said while hugging him as hard as I could.<br />

"No love for this chick?" Trina asked while holding out her arms.<br />

I smiled and ran to her.<br />

"Thanks, for everything Trina."<br />

"No prob Hun, We're your family and you're stuck with us forever."<br />

"Wouldn't have it any other way" I smiled.<br />

I climbed into my car, waved at Trina and Moz, and headed back to Forks. I got<br />

ready for bed and the last thought I had before I went to sleep was that I would<br />

make sure the Cullens realized that I<br />

didn't need their friendship, or anyone's, to survive high school.<br />

I already had a family of my own.<br />

- 42 -


-Break to next day-<br />

When the morning came, I woke up refreshed and with a purpose. I set off to do<br />

my morning routine while dancing along to my iPod.<br />

I dressed in ripped skinny jeans, a cream wool hoodie, and a brown military style<br />

coat. I put my hair up in a messy bun, added a twisted headband, and put on a<br />

feather necklace Trina gave me one<br />

Christmas and a leather cuff that Moz had engraved 'Tod' for me. I slipped on<br />

some brown, faux leather, buckled boots, grabbed some grapes and a juice and ran<br />

to my car.<br />

I climbed in my car and searched through a few CDs before I drove off. I settled<br />

into my seat and sped off to school with 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)' blasting in my<br />

speakers.<br />

Today would be a great day for Revenge.<br />

When I pulled in, I was wailing along to the rest of the CD and pulled into a space<br />

near the back of the parking lot. When I got out of the car, I scanned the lot to find<br />

the Cullens looking at me. <strong>The</strong><br />

Cullens looked at me as if they wanted to say something while Edward was<br />

standing near the driver's door glowering at his family.<br />

I shook my head, popped in my earphones, and walked away. It hurt that they<br />

would do that but I guess they made their decision.<br />

I spent the next two weeks with my earphones attached so that everyone would<br />

get the message to leave me alone. Mike either wasn't as observant as the rest of<br />

the school or he had some serious<br />

space issues. I was getting fed up with his incessant chattering when my temper<br />

flared.<br />

"Mike! Get a clue dude! I have my earphones on for a reason! " I thundered one<br />

day.<br />

Mike looked aghast while the entire lunch table looked between us. I realized<br />

what I had done and immediately tried to backtrack.<br />

- 43 -


"Mike, I'm so sorry! It's just that I was upset about something that happened over<br />

the weekend and it's still bugging me."<br />

Mike seemed to think it over and then smiled at me. Maybe apologizing was a bad<br />

idea.<br />

"It's all right Bella. I can see that things are tense because of the Cullens so I'll<br />

keep them away from you so that they don't piss you off." He said while placing his<br />

arm around my shoulder and hauling<br />

me away to Biology.<br />

I'm 100% sure that apologizing was the most idiotic idea I have ever had, and that<br />

includes keeping a bloodthirsty lion as a pet.<br />

I was going through ways to get rid of Mike without causing him too much bodily<br />

harm when I started to get nervous again. Edward had been ignoring me and on<br />

occasion, casting me dirty glances but<br />

I always made it seem like it didn't affect me.<br />

I walked into class with a confidence I wished I really had and sat at my lab<br />

station. I started sketching Tuna when I heard the chair next to me move.<br />

"Hello" a soft velvet voice spoke.<br />

<strong>The</strong> nerve of the guy! How dare he? He leaves for a month, ignores me as well as<br />

having his family ignore me, and then decides to waltz in and pretend it never<br />

happened? I was stewing with fury and<br />

pointedly ignored him while trying to focus on shading Tuna's eyes.<br />

"I said Hello" the voice said slightly louder after clearing his throat.<br />

I spun my head around to him and glared.<br />

"I'm not deaf."<br />

Edward was surprised to hear that and then looked confused.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>n why did you…"<br />

- 44 -


"No offense" I cut off "but I would rather that we only speak when forced to and<br />

even then, not too much."<br />

He looked shocked at what I said and I turned to finish my drawing.<br />

He was about to say something else when the teacher called the class to attention<br />

and started his lecture.<br />

Edward did what he had done on the first day I arrived, he stared. I could feel his<br />

curious gaze on the side of my face and it just fueled my anger even more. Why does<br />

he have to pretend interest<br />

when he's forcing his family, the only real friends I have ever had in years, to<br />

ignore me like yesterday's meatloaf?<br />

I was stewing in my seat when I felt something brush my hand. I looked down to<br />

see a note placed by my hand. 'Who was this from?' I wondered.<br />

(Bella,Edward)<br />

I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Edward Cullen.<br />

I know who you are. Do you have selective hearing, because I remember<br />

telling you I would like to ignore you. I scribbled furiously. Edward looked even<br />

more confused for a moment and then<br />

wrote back quickly.<br />

Ah, but I'm not talking to you.<br />

I slowly turned my head to him. Was he serious? I wanted to say so many things to<br />

him but words failed me with the amount of anger that was coursing through my<br />

veins. I watched how he tried to<br />

ignore me with a smug smile and I wanted nothing more than to slap that grin off<br />

his face.<br />

Class ended 10 minutes later and Edward turned in his seat only to find me<br />

looking like I wanted to tear his head off. He was about to speak when I raised my<br />

hand to cut him off.<br />

"You arrogant jerk" I hissed "How dare you? You get angry because your family<br />

- 45 -


interacts with me and then decided to tell them to ignore me. <strong>The</strong>n, you try to act as<br />

if everything was all right."<br />

"But Bella..." He started but I cut him off once again with a deadly calm voice.<br />

"Don't you ever talk to me again. Ever. <strong>The</strong> same goes for your family. I liked their<br />

friendship and in some way, I understand. Enjoy your existence Edward, but don't<br />

bother me again."<br />

He looked like he wanted to say something but I did something that neither of us<br />

expected. I balled up the note, chucked it at his head and walked away at the fastest<br />

speed I've ever gone.<br />

I ignored Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper at gym as well as everyone else. I played<br />

tennis as a team of one while Lauren stood off to the side checking her nails. I<br />

worked out my aggressions by hitting the<br />

tennis ball with the racket as hard as I could.<br />

When gym was over, Rosalie tried to corner me. I knew she never liked me as<br />

much as the rest of the Cullens but I was still a sort of friend to her.<br />

"Bella, you have to understand…" she began but I was tired of listening to people.<br />

"Rosalie, just stop. I know what happened."<br />

"You do?" she asked confusedly.<br />

"Yeah. Family comes before anyone else and I was just a random person who<br />

thrust herself into your cozy group. If I had a real family, I would hold onto it just as<br />

you guys are. Don't feel sorry for me<br />

though. Maybe I was never destined to have any friends." I gave her a sad smile<br />

and walked away.<br />

When I got to my car, I blasted music all the way home.<br />

I ran out of my car and ran to my room to throw on some workout clothes and<br />

strapped my cell phone on Fish's collar. I made my way to the backyard with both of<br />

them and just sprinted off into the<br />

trees with Tuna and Fish at my heels.<br />

- 46 -


I don't remember how long I had run but at some point, I collapsed at the trunk of<br />

a huge tree. I sat there breathing heavily when I burst into tears. Tuna and Fish<br />

started whining but settled for<br />

nestling next to me and placing their head on my lap. I buried my face in their fur<br />

and hugged them close to me.<br />

I know I had a family with Moz, Trina and my girls but the Cullens were different.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y were people I could relate to and be myself with. Don't get me wrong, I got<br />

along with Trina, Moz, and my girls but<br />

Trina and Moz had their own lives to live and my girls couldn't exactly talk.<br />

I was even considering telling them my secret but that all changed as soon as<br />

Edward came back. It hurt that they all pretended that those past weeks had never<br />

happened but what hurt even more<br />

was that they cut themselves out of my life completely.<br />

I was sick of it. I was tired of being hurt. I was tired of being tossed around by<br />

other people. I whipped my head up abruptly and looked into the blue eyes of Tuna<br />

and the amber eyes of Fish.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se guys never hurt me. Neither did Moz and Trina. How could I have been so<br />

stupid? Didn't I learn anything from the visit to Moz and Trina? I called up Moz.<br />

"Hola?"<br />

"Moz! " I exclaimed with relief.<br />

"Are you okay Bella? You didn't try to eat cashews again did you?"<br />

"I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to heat it up in its shell Moz! Am I ever<br />

going to live that down?"<br />

"Nope. That goes up there along with the time you wanted to play tug of war with<br />

a…"<br />

"I don't want to talk about it!" I interrupted with my face going beet red even<br />

though he wasn't here.<br />

"All right" he snickered "What did you call for anyway?"<br />

- 47 -


"Nothing, just missing the sound of your melodious voice."<br />

"Well, I'm always here unless I'm, you know, not."<br />

"Well that clears it up" I laughed.<br />

"Ha ha. Well sweetheart, I am glad you called. I wish you'd call more often. How<br />

are things with those friends of yours? Breaking any hearts like I've been<br />

suspecting? Who do I have to kill?"<br />

"I'm no heartbreaker, I'm more of a mysterious, out-of-your-league girl. You don't<br />

have to kill anyone, I could do it more quickly and much more efficiently than a<br />

bounty hunter" I joked.<br />

"Whew" he gasped over the phone "I hate killing teenagers. <strong>The</strong>y scare the living<br />

s*** outta me."<br />

We talked a bit more when he had to leave so I promised him that I would talk to<br />

him at lunch tomorrow. We never discussed the Cullens and I hoped that Moz would<br />

forget about it.<br />

I went back home feeling more refreshed than I had before and after a quick<br />

shower and rinsing off my girls, we all plopped down on the couch to watch <strong>The</strong><br />

Incredibles. I looked down to the fiery red<br />

fur of Fish on one side and the tawny fur of Tuna both wrapped around me in a<br />

protective cocoon and felt somewhat complete as I drifted off to sleep.<br />

So you got to meet Trina! I haven't described her and I don't know what<br />

she'll look like so, don't go looking for her.<br />

Don't you feel sorry for Bella? I do. I don't know if I should put in other<br />

people's POV in the story but maybe I will when the story gets longer.<br />

So, review!<br />

- 48 -


Bad Mood<br />

Sorry! My brother's birthday was yesterday so I devoted the day to him.<br />

That and the fact that we had no electricity until I had to go to work.<br />

All But Faceless: Tuna is the lion. Fish is the fox. I kept mixing them up<br />

until I associated Fish with "F" for <strong>Fox</strong>! Thanks so much to the other<br />

reviews, especially Edward'sNewBella17 (You<br />

totally rock) and lil artist.<br />

I don't own Twilight.<br />

I woke up the next day and realized I would be late to school if I didn't get my butt<br />

in gear. I wasn't in a particularly good mood today so I dressed to match my mood. I<br />

threw on a skelanimals T-shirt<br />

with a burgundy thermal underneath, a dark gray and black hoodie, some black<br />

jeans, a studded bracelet and a rubber bracelet.<br />

I yanked on my black motorcycle jacket and my black and red DC shoes. I grabbed<br />

a strawberry granola bar and an orange on my way out the door, stooping to kiss my<br />

girls on the way out.<br />

Today seemed like it was going to be a hard day.<br />

I pulled in to school in my car and went through most of my morning classes in a<br />

daze. I wasn't paying attention to anything except how miserable I was.<br />

By the time lunch rolled around, I sat by myself at an empty lunch table and called<br />

Moz.<br />

"Hey, what are you up to?" I asked when he picked up.<br />

"Nothing, just a meeting I gotta get to" he replied.<br />

"A meeting? Where at? What's the mark?"<br />

"Nothing major. I just have to meet someone I haven't seen for some time."<br />

- 49 -


"Oh" I sighed "well, how's my favorite?"<br />

"Hey, I thought I was your favorite!" he replied indignant "Good but busy."<br />

I was about to ask what she was doing specifically when someone stood across<br />

from me.<br />

"Go away" I spat.<br />

"Hey, you called me!" laughed Moz but he sounded a bit different.<br />

"No, there's this jerk at the end of the table and he won't get a clue."<br />

"Now, now. That's not nice table manners" crooned a voice and my head snapped<br />

up.<br />

I bolted up from my chair and rammed into the person in front of me.<br />

"Hey, where's the fire?" Moz chuckled.<br />

"Oh man am I glad to see you" I breathed.<br />

Moz laughed and sat on the chair I had occupied. Instead of looking for another<br />

chair, I snuggled up on his lap. He hugged me hard and left his arm around my<br />

waist.<br />

"I thought you were going to a meeting." I asked in amazement. I was still ecstatic<br />

but confused as to why he was here.<br />

"Naw, I had to go see my favorite girl" he grinned. I stared at him and realized<br />

that he looked young enough to pass for a senior, though he was nearly thirty.<br />

I looked into his clear blue, twinkling eyes and leaned my forehead against him.<br />

"You have no idea how much I've missed you" I whispered.<br />

He lifted his head from mine and kissed my forehead. I rested my head on his<br />

chest and closed my eyes. I was sitting there, blissfully happy, when I noticed that it<br />

was quiet.<br />

Had I missed the bell?<br />

- 50 -


I opened my eyes and saw that all tables had their focus on me and Moz. I started<br />

wondering why when it hit me.<br />

Here was this amazingly hot guy who waltzes in only to be tackled by me. I then<br />

proceed to sit on his lap, snuggle, and get kissed on my forehead by him. Holy crap.<br />

Though Moz and I were comfortable like this, which we always were, it must look<br />

different in the eyes of my peers.<br />

Moz must have picked up on this thought too and smirked at some girls which<br />

proceeded to swoon.<br />

"I could have some fun with this" he said mischievously. I looked up at him.<br />

"Don't you dare" I seethed at him while he just waved me off.<br />

"Which ones are the Cullens?" he asked while looking around "Never mind, I think<br />

I found them. You were right, they are good-looking."<br />

I whipped my head around to their table and was confused by their expressions.<br />

Alice looked worried and surprised. Jasper looked like he was concentrating on his<br />

bowl of spaghetti. I couldn't blame<br />

him though, spaghetti wasn't supposed to have eggplant in it. Emmett was staring<br />

at me bug eyed as was Rosalie but she looked strangely approving. Edward was the<br />

most confusing though. He<br />

looked murderously angry and I felt afraid for whoever he was angry at when I<br />

realized he was glaring in my direction.<br />

I was about to glare back when I realized he was looking behind me. With a start,<br />

I realized Moz was the one being targeted and I wondered what Moz did to him.<br />

"Has someone got a crush on you?" Moz asked from behind me.<br />

"Huh?"<br />

"That red-head keeps looking at me like I blew up his prize chihuaha."<br />

I noticed the Cullens all changed their expression at once to confused. I think they<br />

had heard us. I began speaking in the language me, Moz and Trina used in rare<br />

instances: Serbian.<br />

- 51 -


"I nisam znala zašto ste da." (I never knew why you did that)<br />

"Izvor, to je jedino što su videli da moglo da izazove zabava! Mi nikada nije voleo<br />

chihuahuas. yappy malo stvari." (Well, it was the only thing I saw that could cause a<br />

distraction! I never liked Chihuahuas.<br />

Yappy little things.)<br />

"Ono što su te lijeganje da radimo danas?" (So, what are you going to be doing<br />

today?)<br />

"Mislim da sam učiniti crveno-šef malo Ljubomoran. šta kažu?" Moz said with an<br />

evil look. (I think I'm going to make the red head a little jealous. What say you?)<br />

"Mislim da sam ne idu da vam pomogne mogućnost sa vašim malo plana. to<br />

postojati zabava za oprez iako." I snickered. (I think I'm not going to help you out<br />

with your little plan. It would be fun to watch<br />

though.)<br />

I chuckled and stood up when the bell rung. I noticed that all the Cullens were<br />

confused over the language we were speaking and stayed in their chairs while<br />

everyone else filed out.<br />

Moz grabbed my hand and I dragged him to Biology. He had gotten special<br />

permission to follow me around all day. I think he just charmed his way with poor<br />

Mrs. Cope.<br />

When Edward walked in, he looked angrier that Moz was in his seat.<br />

"That is my seat" Edward spoke carefully. Moz looked up at him and gave him a<br />

killer smile.<br />

"Well, sorry man. I got special permission to follow my sweetheart today and I'm<br />

taking full advantage of that by being as close to her as I can." He winked at me<br />

while I struggled to keep my face<br />

straight.<br />

Edward looked pissed and I loved every minute of messing with his mind.<br />

"You don't mind, do you Edward" I asked in an innocent voice. He rolled his eyes<br />

- 52 -


and dragged another stool to the other side of me.<br />

Throughout class, Moz and I were exchanging notes in a mixture of Japanese,<br />

Gaelic, Latin, and Estonian. It confused many people and nobody could crack the<br />

code because of how crazy it looked.<br />

Edward had looked very confused whenever we passed the notes and he got rigid<br />

in his chair whenever Moz did something to make Edward jealous. Moz would brush<br />

my hair away from my neck,<br />

sneak kisses on my cheek when the teacher wasn't looking and draw random<br />

hearts on my notes. I don't know why, but it made Edward bonkers.<br />

We left class after Edward stalked out and walked to gym. Moz decided to go to<br />

my house as my day finished up and I bid him goodbye.<br />

"Don't I get a kiss goodbye?" he asked with a pout. I snickered and pecked him on<br />

the cheek.<br />

"A real kiss Bellsy" he mock-demanded while stamping his foot and wagging his<br />

finger. I stood and put my hands on his cheeks. To others, it looked as if I was<br />

actually kissing him but my thumbs were<br />

blocking our mouths from touching. Trina was cool but she would slaughter me if I<br />

ever did that.<br />

I waved goodbye and started changing for gym. Throughout the whole class,<br />

Rosalie kept peering at me with an analyzing stare. When we were changing after<br />

gym, Rosalie walked up to me.<br />

"Clever"<br />

"I don't understand what you mean."<br />

"Your little trick. <strong>The</strong>y might not have known but I think he deserves it. Don't<br />

worry though, I won't tell." She assured. Now I was definitely confused. Who and<br />

what was she going on about?<br />

"Who are you talking about?"<br />

"Crveno-šef" she winked "<strong>The</strong> hottie was right in his assumption. Crveno-šef je<br />

Ljubomoran." (<strong>The</strong> red-head. <strong>The</strong> red-head is jealous.)<br />

- 53 -


I stared dumbfounded after her as she walked away. How in the freaking world<br />

did she know Serbian? She thought Moz was hot? I mean he was but I had known<br />

him forever so I couldn't really…. Hold<br />

the phone. Did she say Edward was jealous?<br />

I arrived home to find the door slightly open with Moz lying motionless on the<br />

floor with dark red liquid on his chest.<br />

Ooh, a cliffhanger…I'm mean aren't I?<br />

I tried something new with a language in the story so, don't kill me. I just<br />

always hate scrolling down and then scrolling back up to find out what<br />

something means but If you don't like it, tell me and I'll edit it. I'm sorry if<br />

the Serbian isn't right, I used an online translator.<br />

Anyway, I regret to tell you that I'm starting school on Monday so my<br />

updates will most likely be less frequent. Sorry, but that's the price I have to<br />

pay. Well, that and my tuition.<br />

- 54 -


Discoveries<br />

Wow, people seemed to really like Moz. Well, this chapter explains things<br />

and SURPRISE! I have someone else's POV here! I was so excited to do it! I<br />

had to choose someone and this character just popped out at me.<br />

This chapter will hopefully make up for the cruel school that's taking my<br />

time away and the evil Cliffhanger I left you with.<br />

Trina: Say it or your little friend gets it.<br />

Me: Noooooo! Not Fish! She's so cute and fluffyyyy!<br />

Trina: Say it or I'll shave her fur!<br />

Me: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer! Trina, unfortunately, belongs to<br />

me. As well as Tuna and Fish. *sob* Poor Fish.<br />

I arrived home to find the door slightly open with Moz lying motionless on the<br />

floor with dark red liquid on his chest.<br />

I walked over and kicked him on his shin.<br />

"Ow! What the hell Bella? That really hurt!" he yelped while sitting up straight.<br />

"Good. I'm glad it hurt. Now get your ass up and clean this mess."<br />

"I could have been dead!"<br />

"1, dead people don't scream like a girl when they're kicked and 2, blood looks<br />

different from paint. Come on Moz, give me something to work with here. You could<br />

have at least messed up my floor with real blood."<br />

"Ew" he wrinkled his nose "I wouldn't go that far."<br />

"<strong>The</strong>n don't pretend to die that way" I quipped while flipping through magazines<br />

as he started to clean up his mess. After he finished, he plopped down on the couch<br />

next to me.<br />

- 55 -


"So, how'd lover boy react to our fake-out make-out?"<br />

"Crazy, I guess. He tore out of the parking lot like he had to go potty. His sister<br />

figured it out though."<br />

"Really? Which one?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> blonde."<br />

"Huh. We must not be doing a good enough job if a blonde figured it out."<br />

"Copper! That's not nice at all. She's brilliant, a whiz at cars, and she even spoke<br />

to me in the same language we used!"<br />

Moz looked impressed.<br />

"Hot body and brains. She's going to rule the world. Think she'll show us mercy?"<br />

"Maybe for me. She'll probably throw you to the sharks."<br />

I chuckled and we settled in to watch a movie.<br />

-Rosalie POV!-<br />

During the surprise at lunch, I blocked all thoughts from Edward by thinking of<br />

the special, um, activities that Emmett and I had done for the past three nights in a<br />

row.<br />

"Gross Rosalie." Shuddered Edward and turned to talk with Jasper and Emmett<br />

about the pros and cons of hunting in Asia.<br />

I was looking at Bella and her friend. <strong>The</strong>y were pretty good looking for humans<br />

and they did look good together but they didn't look in love or even in lust.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Chihuahua comment had caught us off guard but we were forced to focus on<br />

something else when they started speaking another language. <strong>The</strong> reason I wanted<br />

Edward out of my head was because I understood Serbian and I needed to figure out<br />

what they were discussing.<br />

Much to my surprise and amusement, they were discussing Edward and their plan<br />

- 56 -


to make him jealous was brilliant.<br />

I kept blocking my thoughts throughout the whole day until we got to gym. <strong>The</strong><br />

kiss between Bella and her guy would have been very convincing had I not known<br />

what to look for. It had Emmett, Jasper, and most importantly, Edward, who left<br />

school rapidly.<br />

I kept studying her during gym and thought about her brief time with us. We<br />

couldn't hang out with Bella because Edward was angry that he couldn't read her<br />

mind, she was his singer, and most importantly, we were vampires.<br />

Despite all that, she grew on us. She became a little sister whom Emmett adored<br />

and even loosened Jasper up. She was a little sister and best friend to Alice and<br />

Esme was taken by her. I didn't mind her at all. She earned my respect after the<br />

Lauren debacle and I warmed up to her after I found out we had cars in common.<br />

She made us feel like a real family and that comment I had with her last time<br />

really cut deep.<br />

"Bella, you have to understand…" I began but she looked up at me with tired eyes<br />

and cut me off.<br />

"Rosalie, just stop. I know what happened."<br />

"You do?" I asked confusedly.<br />

"Yeah. Family comes before anyone else and I was just a random person who<br />

thrust herself into your cozy group. If I had a real family, I would hold onto it just as<br />

you guys are. Don't feel sorry for me though. Maybe I was never destined to have<br />

any friends." She gave me a sad smile and walked away.<br />

I couldn't believe that she believed she was never meant to have friends. I had<br />

always felt lonely because of our existence but the words Bella said showed that she<br />

was truly alone. She had no one to talk to or even anyone to annoy.<br />

I wasn't ashamed to say that I missed her and I would have given anything to be<br />

her friend again.<br />

After gym, I walked up to her.<br />

"Clever" I told her.<br />

- 57 -


"I don't understand what you mean." She said confused.<br />

"Your little trick. <strong>The</strong>y might not have known but I think he deserves it. Don't<br />

worry though, I won't tell." I told her. I hoped she did other things as payback of<br />

Edward's stupid decision. He may act as if he doesn't like Bella but anyone with a<br />

brain can see him pining over her.<br />

"Who are you talking about?" she asked carefully.<br />

"Crveno-šef" I winked "<strong>The</strong> hottie was right in his assumption. Crveno-šef je<br />

Ljubomoran." (<strong>The</strong> red-head. <strong>The</strong> red-head is jealous.)<br />

I walked away as she stared at me incredulously. I was always glad when I proved<br />

people wrong. <strong>The</strong>y never expect a blond to not only have brains, but use them.<br />

I made my way home and decided to do some snooping of the Bella kind.<br />

"I'm going out to hunt" I lied.<br />

"Ooh, I'll go with you Rosie." Emmett piped in but I convinced him to stay by<br />

saying I wanted to plan something special for him.<br />

Edward walked down with a confused look and asked me where I was really going.<br />

"That's for me to know and for you to butt out."<br />

He looked annoyed at my remark but tapped his temple. I immediately filled my<br />

mind with raunchy thoughts of Emmett and he grimaced.<br />

"Never mind" he said disgusted. Alice bounded down the stairs and stopped in<br />

front of me.<br />

"Let's go" she trilled.<br />

"No"<br />

"I'm going Rosalie. <strong>The</strong>re's nothing you can do about it" she scowled.<br />

I looked at the ceiling and dragged her out by her arm. As soon as we were far<br />

away, I confronted the pixie.<br />

"How'd you know?"<br />

- 58 -


"Simple" she responded while yanking her arm away and smoothing out her coat,<br />

"your future went blurry and I wanted to come with."<br />

"Blurry?"<br />

"Yeah" she hedged, "I don't always see Bella clearly but other times, I see her<br />

clearly. I don't know why that is."<br />

Alice looked frustrated. I hadn't known that Bella was that immune to their<br />

powers.<br />

"What about Jasper?" Alice looked confused.<br />

"What about Jasper?"<br />

"Well, his gift. If your power only works sometimes and Edward's doesn't work at<br />

all, does Jasper's gift work on her?"<br />

"I don't know" Alice stated slowly and we ran the rest of the way in silence.<br />

When we got to Bella's house, we jumped into a tree and watched her with her<br />

"boyfriend" when a thought came to me.<br />

"Hey Alice, what do you know about Bella and her guy?" Alice frowned and looked<br />

at them in disgust.<br />

"I'm not sure" she pouted "All I know is that he came out of nowhere and that<br />

Bella was supposed to be with Edward."<br />

"She was?" I asked surprised. I hadn't known that Alice had a vision of Bella and<br />

Edward together but now that I thought about it, they would make a good couple.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n, I smirked at what Alice had missed.<br />

"What are you so smug about?" she asked confused.<br />

"I know something you don't know" I sang while she crossed her arms and<br />

frowned towards the house.<br />

We sat and watched Bella and her guy talking on the couch after he had finished<br />

cleaning up some red mess that looked like juice on the floor.<br />

"So, how'd lover boy react to our fake-out make-out?" <strong>The</strong> hottie asked.<br />

- 59 -


"Crazy, I guess. He tore out of the parking lot like he had to go potty. His sister<br />

figured it out though."<br />

Alice turned her head to me with a questioning gaze and I motioned for her to<br />

listen.<br />

"Really? Which one?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> pretty blond one."<br />

Alice gave me a surprised look and I looked at her smugly.<br />

"Huh. We must not be doing a good enough job if a blond figured it out."<br />

Now it was Alice's turn to giggle. I take back what I said about the hot man. How<br />

dare he?<br />

"Copper! That's not nice at all. She's brilliant, a whiz at cars, and she even spoke<br />

to me in the same language we used!"<br />

"Copper?" Alice and I mouthed to each other. What a strange name. I felt grateful<br />

to Bella who defended me even though I was never that nice to her. She really was a<br />

sweetheart.<br />

"Hot body and brains. She's going to rule the world. Think she'll show us mercy?"<br />

"Maybe for me. She'll probably throw you to the sharks."<br />

I snickered while Alice processed the information.<br />

"So, they're not going out with each other?"<br />

"Nope."<br />

"What was that language they spoke during lunch? And how did you know it?"<br />

"Serbian. Honestly Alice, I don't get down on Emmett every night! I do other<br />

things as well."<br />

Alice looked sheepish and apologized while thinking about what she had heard<br />

from Bella and her guy.<br />

- 60 -


"So Bella and Edward still have a chance?" she asked excitedly.<br />

"Yes Alice, but we mustn't tell Edward about it. He made a big mistake by not<br />

allowing us to be friends with Bella and we were even more stupid to follow his<br />

directions." Alice looked somber but I piped in again.<br />

"I know I'm not very loving but Bella has helped this family in many ways. She's<br />

helped us all become stronger as a family and I think that we should try to be her<br />

friends again, no matter what Edward says." Alice's eyes sparkled from the truth in<br />

my words and nodded vigorously.<br />

"I think so too Rosalie! And don't worry about Edward, he'll come around. Jasper<br />

says that he has feelings towards her so it'll be sometime soon that he falls in love<br />

with her."<br />

We were near the house when Alice whispered something.<br />

"I know you're loving Rosalie, you just show it in a different way and you're one of<br />

the best sisters a vampire girl could ever have."<br />

I was touched by what she said and my eyes glistened with venom. I grabbed her<br />

mid-stride and squeezed her tightly to me while kissing her spiky hair.<br />

"Ow, you've been hanging around Emmett too much" Alice giggled.<br />

We laughed and walked in the door together arm in arm much to the confusion of<br />

everyone, especially Edward.<br />

"Why are you blocking your minds? What is that song? It's so annoying."<br />

"Barbie Girl by Aqua" Alice piped in at the same time as I said "My First Kiss by<br />

3OH!3"<br />

We laughed as everyone else looked confused at us. I guess it looked odd that we<br />

were both smiling and that I was acting different.<br />

"Different is one word for it" muttered Edward. I narrowed my eyes at him.<br />

Esme clapped her hands and ushered Carlisle to his study while Edward, Jasper<br />

and Emmett returned to their video game. Alice and I winked at each other and<br />

went to read some magazines in her room.<br />

- 61 -


I couldn't wait until tomorrow.<br />

It was Rosalie! I never find her POV very often and I enjoyed writing her.<br />

Well, I liked making her different as well as some of the other Cullens.<br />

And Moz is alive! He just can't play a good joke. Anyway, review and I<br />

won't mock kill anyone anymore.<br />

Maybe. Just kidding.<br />

- 62 -


Trusting<br />

Hello again! I feel like a jerk for not posting sooner but it's going to be a<br />

while before I post again. Classes started and I have to get adjusted to my<br />

new classes. *groan*<br />

Anyway, I have been working like crazy to make new chapters. Thanks for<br />

the reviews!<br />

Uh, Twilight doesn't belong to me.<br />

-BPOV-<br />

Moz left the next day after a joking reminder to call him if Edward needed more<br />

convincing.<br />

It had started raining and I felt my mood dampen as well. I dressed in a light blue<br />

and yellow plaid shirt, a yellow ribbed tank underneath, some gray cropped jeans<br />

and clipped on a sad storm cloud necklace.<br />

I put on my yellow and gray Nikes as I grabbed a handful of strawberries, grabbed<br />

my sunny inside umbrella and strolled to my car. I had no one to talk to and the ones<br />

that did want to talk were less than stellar company. I was really regretting going to<br />

school but I never quit.<br />

When I arrived at school, I dropped my keys as soon as I stepped out of the car. I<br />

rolled my eyes and was about to pick them up when a white hand grabbed it before I<br />

did. Rosalie and Alice were standing in front of me with identical lovely smiles.<br />

I was confused. Weren't they avoiding me? Why were they here? What were they<br />

up… Hold on, was Rosalie smiling? At me?<br />

"Wha… Are you okay Rosalie?" She looked confused for a moment.<br />

"More than okay, why do you ask?"<br />

"You're smiling. At me."<br />

She burst out into laughter while Alice giggled. Everyone was looking at us<br />

- 63 -


strangely not only because these beautiful girls were laughing but they were there<br />

without their boyfriends. I spotted them across the parking lot looking equally as<br />

confused. Edward was a mix between anger and confused.<br />

"Well of course I am Bella" Rosalie stated "Why wouldn't I?"<br />

"Because you've been avoiding me" I said flatly "and we should keep it that way."<br />

I walked away from them towards my English class, hoping that I would be left<br />

alone for the day. Of course, I never get my wishes and was instantly bombarded by<br />

Jessica in class.<br />

"What did you say to Rosalie this morning?"<br />

"I don't know."<br />

"Well maybe it was something you said?" she pressed. Before I could say<br />

something else, someone else popped in.<br />

"Maybe she got a look at your outfit."<br />

I had forgotten Lauren was in this class and she looked pleased that she had<br />

gotten the attention of the class with her remark. Jessica giggled until I shot her a<br />

look. I had had enough of this girl. She lived to put me down at every chance she got<br />

but ignoring her wasn't taking the effect I hoped it would.<br />

"Ah Lauren, I forgot you were in this class. How are you doing today?" I asked<br />

pleasantly. She narrowed her eyes at me and made an obscene gesture.<br />

"What's the matter Laur? No more clever retorts? How long did it take you to<br />

figure out the previous one?"<br />

By her expression, I knew I had pushed the right buttons.<br />

"Just you wait until gym" she growled. I smirked in anticipation.<br />

"I'll be waiting" I answered evilly. I think it had scared Lauren by the flash of fear<br />

in her fishy blue eyes.<br />

<strong>The</strong> rest of classes passed by and people started gossiping about the 'showdown in<br />

gym' as they called it. I walked into the lunchroom and sat at my table alone, taking<br />

out the lunch I packed myself.<br />

- 64 -


"Aw, little baby Bella doesn't have anyone to play with" mocked Lauren in a baby<br />

voice as she passed my table. I started fingering the knives I always tucked in my<br />

sleeves and hoped that Lauren walked away before I was headed for jail.<br />

"Ew, what is that?" A voice sounded behind me. Lauren looked surprised and<br />

confused of whoever was behind my back.<br />

"I think it's some kind of scum" said another lovely voice. Oh crap. I was already<br />

getting grief from Lauren but now the Cullen girls had to join in? <strong>The</strong>y were acting<br />

so nice this morning! Lauren looked like the cat that ate the canary while I sat<br />

frozen in my seat.<br />

"Bella, is some scum bothering you?" asked Rosalie which left me, Lauren and<br />

basically the whole cafeteria dumbfounded. Rosalie was defending me? I quickly<br />

recovered and replied back.<br />

"No, she was just leaving" I stammered.<br />

"You heard her, now leave" fumed Alice. I didn't know she could be so fierce! She<br />

turned to me with a smile quickly, her anger forgotten with every step Lauren took.<br />

"Hi Bella! I heard what Lauren said this morning about your clothes. Don't worry<br />

about it, I think that you dress cute and I love the way you accessorize! Though, I<br />

would put you in more dresses and in less sneakers and boots. I'd love to go<br />

shopping with you someday, what do you think Rosalie?" Rosalie laughed and held<br />

up her hands as if shielding me.<br />

"Slow down Alice! You're overwhelming her. Sorry about that Bella. I hope Lauren<br />

wasn't causing too much problems. We could put her in her place if she causes any<br />

more."<br />

I must have been daydreaming about this. I was staring at them wide eyed while<br />

they waited for my answer. I looked down at my hands and examined them. <strong>The</strong>n, I<br />

pinched myself.<br />

"Yow!" I yelped and rubbed the red skin. Rosalie looked amused while Alice<br />

laughed heartily.<br />

"Silly Bella, you're not daydreaming."<br />

"I'm not? Wait, wait. If I'm not, then why are you even talking to me?"<br />

- 65 -


Rosalie and Alice looked somber when I asked and gave each other meaningful<br />

glances.<br />

"We never wanted to stop being your friends Bella" Rosalie explained, "It's just<br />

that everything was tense and then you said those things to Edward and us, and we<br />

figured it would be best to leave you be."<br />

"Why didn't you continue with that plan?" I asked angrily.<br />

"Because we didn't want to stay away from you anymore. We loved being your<br />

friend and you helped us a lot in our family. Even Rosalie missed you tons. She was<br />

the one who suggested we ignore Edward until he realizes he cannot boss us<br />

around. Do we live in a dictatorship? No."<br />

"Aw, Alice. Edward's not a dictator. He's just a dick" Rosalie said and we all burst<br />

out into laughter.<br />

I had forgotten about how well we all got along with each other. I talked with<br />

them throughout lunch but I made sure to be wary of them in case they change their<br />

minds again. At one point, Alice piped in.<br />

"Don't worry Bella. We're not going to change our minds again. We're staying<br />

friends no matter what." She winked and continued on carrying the conversation.<br />

I stared at her flabbergasted. How did she know exactly what I was feeling<br />

insecure about? Maybe she was psychic? I shook my head at the last thought and<br />

chuckled, and continued my conversation with Alice and Rosalie.<br />

I walked to biology feeling lighter and sat in my seat. I felt rather than saw<br />

Edward and I didn't know how he would react towards me. I could navigate through<br />

a laser field with both hands tied behind my back. I once had to fight an alligator<br />

due to an old fashioned moat at one of my past hits. I couldn't believe it either but I<br />

did it without batting an eyelash. What was it about this guy that had me feeling like<br />

a girl who got sent to the Principal's office?<br />

Before I faced Edward though, Mike popped up in front of me which made me<br />

jump about a foot in the air. When did I start losing my focus?<br />

"Bella" he started nervously "So, you know how the Fall Ball is coming up after the<br />

Halloween fund raiser?"<br />

I stared at him. What the heck was he going on about? Mike must have sensed my<br />

- 66 -


confusion so he carried on excitedly.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> Fall Ball Bella! <strong>The</strong> theme is Vintage as well as the Prom. We don't have<br />

sufficient funds to have 2 different themes if we want to have 2 dances and the<br />

Halloween event."<br />

"I don't know what to say Mike" I spoke slowly, "Well, that's actually a lie. I do<br />

know what to say. No."<br />

My hesitation had Mike happy but I ended up surprising not only him, but the<br />

whole class who had been eavesdropping. I felt bad that his rejection was public so I<br />

made up an excuse.<br />

"It's just that I have to visit my friend and I didn't know it would be the day of the<br />

dance."<br />

"Oh. Was it that guy you were getting cozy with a couple of days ago?"<br />

"Yes" I stiffened. Mike seemed to draw his own conclusion and I was glad that I<br />

didn't have to say anything.<br />

"If it makes you feel better Mike," I whispered "I hear Jessica might be open to<br />

your suggestion." He brightened immediately.<br />

"But if she finds out I told you" I lowered my voice, "I'll become your worst<br />

nightmare. Got it?"<br />

"Got it." he gulped and went to sit in his seat. At least I helped him find a date that<br />

wasn't me and scare him away in the process. Maybe he'll back off from now on. I<br />

sighed happily and settled into my seat when Edward spoke.<br />

"I think he'll probably need a change of pants after what you said." Crap. I had<br />

forgotten all about him.<br />

"I just steered him in the right direction." I mumbled.<br />

"Which direction was that?"<br />

"Anywhere but mine."<br />

He laughed and I became mesmerized. His high cheekbones, his amazing golden<br />

eyes, his beautiful crooked smile that made me… Oh no, I wasn't supposed to be<br />

- 67 -


having thoughts like that about someone who had hurt me so much! I'll admit that<br />

while he is a good looking guy, it does not excuse his behavior.<br />

Biology was spent with silence and I rushed off to gym as soon as the bell rung. At<br />

gym, Rosalie walked over with Jasper and Emmett.<br />

"Hey Bella!" waved Rosalie and I greeted her. An awkward silence ensued<br />

because I figured the guys would be on Edward's side. After a few minutes in<br />

silence, Emmett finally broke.<br />

"Oh my gosh, we missed you so much Bella! It was never the same without you<br />

and I couldn't bear being without my little Koda!" he yelled while scooping me into a<br />

bear hug and spinning me around.<br />

"Emmett, I need my lungs to function" I choked out and he placed me down. I held<br />

on to his arm as the dizziness faded. I grinned up at him and kissed him on his<br />

cheek.<br />

"Missed you too Brother Bear." I said and he beamed at me. Jasper stood off to the<br />

side shifting on his feet until we made eye contact. <strong>The</strong>n, he rushed over to me and<br />

wrapped his arms around me.<br />

"I missed you too Bella. So much." He said with emotion.<br />

"You're stealing all the boys' affection!" Rosalie kidded. "Oh man, Alice is going to<br />

give you a piece of her mind when she sees you."<br />

"You're gonna tell her about me and Jasper's affair and plan to elope at Cupid's<br />

Wedding Chapel?"<br />

Jasper's eyes widened and then he burst out into laughter along with Emmett and<br />

Rosalie.<br />

"I almost believed you Bella! You're a pretty good liar" observed Jasper.<br />

"A girl tries" I fanned myself.<br />

"No, a girl tries. You succeed." Rosalie corrected.<br />

<strong>The</strong> teacher went to go make an important phone call and left Emmett in charge<br />

since no one would go against him. I was off to the side talking to Rosalie and Jasper<br />

when a ball thwacked me on the side of the head. Rosalie jumped up only to be held<br />

- 68 -


down by Jasper and myself.<br />

"Oops" Lauren said with an innocent expression "Did I get you?"<br />

"You're going to be mince meat Lauren!" Rosalie hissed. I was wondering what I<br />

had done to her when I remembered the 'Gym class showdown' from this morning. I<br />

patted Rosalie to get her attention.<br />

"Don't worry Rosalie; I can fight my own battles." I reassured.<br />

"But Bella, I don't want to see you get hurt."<br />

"She won't lay a finger on me" I promised. Rosalie looked apprehensive but let me<br />

walk towards Lauren.<br />

"Well, well. Looks like friendless Bella blackmailed the Cullens into friendship."<br />

"Oh Lauren, I would never stoop as low as you do to maintain my friends." I could<br />

tell I had stumped her.<br />

"You don't scare me Bella Swan" she said my name as if it was acid on her tongue.<br />

"You think you're better than everyone? You're nothing but scum, the lowest of the<br />

low. You're not fit to walk among us."<br />

Everyone looked shocked at what Lauren had said but I was just confused.<br />

"Where do you get off calling me names? You had better make sure you know<br />

what you're talking about before spewing lies."<br />

"What happened to your parents? No one ever seems to know what happened to<br />

them. I also know for a fact that you purchase 20 pounds of raw meat every week.<br />

What do you use that for Bella?"<br />

I was stuck. No one had ever asked me those questions before but I figured small<br />

towns like to make scandals of everything. Just look at how they treated poor Esme.<br />

"My parents died in tragic accidents when I was little. My dad died from being<br />

impaled by a swordfish while deep sea fishing and my mom died a bit later due to a<br />

doctor's high dosage of Obecalp." I figured that would keep them from asking any<br />

further questions and I didn't have to elaborate much.<br />

"What about the meat?"<br />

- 69 -


"Ah, the meat. I help out the Seattle Zoo by donating meat to the animals. I've<br />

always helped out in zoos."<br />

Lauren was seething. I could practically see the fumes blowing out of her ears.<br />

"Hey Lauren, need some water? You look pretty steamed."<br />

That broke her. She charged at me with a cry of hate while I calmly stood and let<br />

her advance. When she brought down her fist, I quickly sidestepped her and she<br />

went tumbling to the ground. She leaped up and threw her hands to my face but she<br />

didn't anticipate me stooping down so she tripped over me. Lauren and I went<br />

through about five minutes of this until she finally doubled over.<br />

"Nice try Lauren, but remember. Motions are harder to stop when they miss their<br />

original targets."<br />

I turned to walk away when I felt something behind me coming at a rapid speed. I<br />

grabbed Lauren's fist over my shoulder and turned slowly to look at her.<br />

"I'm a dangerous person Lauren, it would be best if you'd remember that." I<br />

whispered in her ear.<br />

She nodded quickly and I released her hand. She skittered away holding her hurt<br />

wrist while others went about to what they were doing before.<br />

"Impaled by a swordfish Bella? Really? That's totally bull." Rosalie snorted but<br />

then seemed unsure "Isn't it?"<br />

"I know for a fact, that they don't let people anonymously donate meat to zoo<br />

animals" mused Jasper.<br />

"Maybe I'll explain another day guys but for right now, I just want to go home!" I<br />

said and hurried to the locker room where I changed quick and bolted out the door.<br />

When I got home, I started pacing my living room floor with Tuna and Fish<br />

following my movements on the couch. I just didn't know what to do. I had been<br />

asked questions about my past and I blurted out whatever came to mind. Why didn't<br />

I use the old excuses I had come up with? What was wrong with me? Maybe I was<br />

tired of all the lying and just wanted to be a normal girl for a while. I mean, that was<br />

what I had come here for in the first place. But I could never have that luxury. My<br />

girls reminded me of that every day.<br />

- 70 -


<strong>The</strong>n I thought about the Cullens. Could I afford to trust them with my secret? I<br />

mean let's face it, they were untrustworthy because of what they had done but they<br />

explained it was all Edward. I had no idea what to do. Maybe I could observe them<br />

for the next few weeks and then when the time was right, I would sit them down and<br />

tell them. Yeah. That seemed like a plan.<br />

I hauled myself up the stairs, showered, and then went to sleep.<br />

Aw, Bella can't trust the Cullens. Sad.<br />

Well, we'll be seeing more of the Cullens soon. I'm wondering if I should<br />

put someone else's POV again. Eh, maybe later.<br />

So review!<br />

- 71 -


Friends and Poses<br />

Hey there! Thanks for the reviews! I've been working on homework and a<br />

few more chapters!<br />

Me: Twilight now belongs to me!<br />

Jasper: No it doesn't.<br />

Me: Yes it does, I claimed it. *feels weird*<br />

Jasper: Now, who does Twilight really belong to?<br />

Me: (dazed) Stephenie Meyer.<br />

Jasper: Good girl *pats head*<br />

Me: You're purty. *pokes his cheek*<br />

<strong>The</strong> next day, I decided to dress comfortably. I put on a gray tee shirt, a green<br />

hooded bomber jacket, some black jeans, a wraparound bracelet and my boots. I<br />

grabbed my backpack, wrapped my plaid scarf around my neck and yanked on my<br />

knit Kermit hat. I also slipped on a dog tag I had once received as a token of<br />

gratitude from a soldier for saving their life.<br />

I arrived at school and saw that Rosalie was waving me over. I walked up to them<br />

hesitatingly because Edward was standing next to them.<br />

"Hey Bella! What's going on? I love your hat."<br />

"Not much Rosalie, school hasn't started yet. And thanks, Kermit's my favorite."<br />

"He rocks. So Bella, Edward has something he wants to say to you, don't you<br />

Edward?"<br />

Edward looked annoyed but turned to face me.<br />

"I'm sorry I was so mean to you Bella."<br />

- 72 -


"And?" prompted Emmett.<br />

"And that I made my family ignore you for my own benefit." Edward finished flatly.<br />

"That's it? If you don't feel bad about what you did then screw you and your<br />

apology." Edward just stared while the others were looking at him with a pleading<br />

gaze.<br />

"Whatever Edward!" yelled Alice "You can just stay sad and miserable for the rest<br />

of your life! Will you be joining us for lunch Bella?"<br />

"Uh, only if I'm wanted there. I wouldn't want to impose."<br />

"You won't be" Jasper reassured.<br />

"Well, all right then. I'll see you at lunch. Bye guys."<br />

I heard a chorus of 'Bye Bella' as I made my way to English. Lauren and Jessica<br />

were intent on ignoring me but I didn't mind, I could only take so much of Jessica's<br />

motor mouth. I began sketching Esme because I thought that she looked like a real<br />

life Snow White. I tried to capture her kind eyes and her motherly smile but I also<br />

wanted to capture the grace she had. It took me the rest of my classes to have her<br />

finished halfway and I went to lunch feeling better. Art was really therapeutic. When<br />

I got to Lunch, I found Jasper and Alice waving for me to join them.<br />

"Hey Bella!" squealed Alice as I sat down.<br />

"Hi Alice. What's new?"<br />

"Well, Rosalie was about to slaughter Lauren today. She was bad-mouthing you<br />

again."<br />

"Ah, girls like her often hide their insecurities by putting down others. She'll end<br />

up living some lifestyle where she's a trophy wife but will never have real friends."<br />

<strong>The</strong> table looked at me weirdly as I popped in a cherry tomato.<br />

"O-kay Dr. Phil" said Emmett "Where did you get your psychology degree?"<br />

"Nowhere" I laughed "I'm just making an observation. I watch a lot of TV. Dr. Phil<br />

is not one of those shows."<br />

- 73 -


We spent the rest of the lunch joking around and even had a chip fight thanks to<br />

Emmett. Edward, though, just sat and read a book during the entire lunch. I felt bad<br />

that I was taking away his family but we all tried to include him and he always<br />

denied. <strong>The</strong> bell rang and we all went our separate ways to class. Edward had gone<br />

to class ahead of time so I walked slowly. When I sat down, we continued ignoring<br />

each other until the teacher walked in.<br />

"Class," Mr. Banner began, "I have to grade your tests so discuss the assignment<br />

on the board with your partner."<br />

You had to be kidding me. I had already done this assignment! Judging from the<br />

completed paper Edward was now glaring at, so had he. We looked at each other<br />

and then looked at table. What now? Well, I wasn't about to just dwindle class time<br />

away so I pulled out the picture and began shading Esme's hair with a color pencil.<br />

"That's an incredible likeness to her, you know." Edward said. I halted. Why had I<br />

taken out this picture? I felt so stupid! I mean, this was his mother and I was didn't<br />

even know her as well as he did.<br />

"Thanks. Esme seems nice so I wanted to draw her a bit."<br />

"Well, you have talent." I nodded my head at his words and continued coloring in.<br />

"Bella," he started again "I'm sorry. For everything. I never met anyone like you<br />

and I guess that it just angered me that my family had accepted you so easily. Even<br />

Rosalie for goodness sakes! She doesn't even like me very much sometimes! I never<br />

meant to hurt your feelings and I was wondering if we could start all over?"<br />

I stared at Edward's agonized eyes for a bit. He really did seem sorry. At that<br />

moment, I made up my mind and I thrust out my open hand at him.<br />

"Hi, my name is Bella Swan. How are you?" Edward looked at my hand then at my<br />

face. He broke out into a crooked smile and shook it. I noticed it was cold but I<br />

didn't flinch.<br />

"I am Edward Cullen, nice to meet you."<br />

"So, want to be friends?"<br />

"Sure. I think that my family is friends with someone and they are quite taken with<br />

her. Maybe you two would get along."<br />

- 74 -


"I have a feeling we might get along greatly." I grinned.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bell rang after we made some small talk and we went our separate ways.<br />

When gym started, Rosalie walked up to me.<br />

"I hear you made a new friend." She said impressed.<br />

"Yeah. We got to talking and he seemed like he really wanted to make amends. I<br />

decided to give him a chance."<br />

Rosalie nodded her head and we waited for the boys to show up.<br />

"Good grief, what's taking them so long?" Rosalie huffed. After a few more<br />

minutes, the boys showed up.<br />

"What in the world kept you?"<br />

"Rosalie! You can't achieve this" Emmett gestured to his body "in 5 minutes.<br />

Jasper and I were primping."<br />

"Yeah, don't you see his eyelashes? <strong>The</strong>y're gorgeous dahling." Jasper said in a<br />

girly voice while Emmett batted his eyes at us.<br />

"You guys are so weird."<br />

"Ah, ah Bella. You shouldn't say that otherwise I won't give you that fabu<br />

makeover you were begging for yesterday."<br />

"And judging from your nails, I'd say you were in desperate need of a manicure."<br />

Said jasper as he examined my fingers. I yanked my hand away and went to slap his<br />

arm but he leaped out of the way in time.<br />

Rosalie and I shook our heads at the boys while they posed around us. Jasper<br />

would yell for Emmett to do ridiculous things while he flashed an imaginary camera<br />

at him. <strong>The</strong> highlight of the class was when Emmett was pretending to be a unicorn<br />

and bumped into the coach who shook his head and walked away.<br />

Soon school ended and I found myself at home. I couldn't wait for tomorrow now<br />

that I had my old friends back.<br />

- 75 -


We got to see funny Jasper and Edward has finally gotten along with Bella!<br />

Oh joy!<br />

So, anyway, review and I'll give you some imaginary ice cream! If you don't<br />

like ice cream, then I can't help you there. :(<br />

- 76 -


Having Fun and Sucking up<br />

Aloha! Thanks again for the reviews!<br />

Marie: I actually just started writing about that so it'll happen in a few<br />

more chapters! It's a bit of a wait but I needed to work up to it.<br />

Snoopykid: Ooh! Nice ice cream choice! I'm making two bowls for us XD.<br />

Me: Yes! I stole Twilight from Stephenie Meyer! Whoo! *Does happy<br />

dance*<br />

Bella: Give it back to her or I'll have to hurt you.<br />

Me: *whimpers* Why'd I have to make you so bad-ass? <strong>The</strong>re! I fed-exed it<br />

to her, you can go now.<br />

Bella: Say it.<br />

Me: Ugh, fine. Twilight does not belong to me. Happy?<br />

Bella: Yeah, now gimme your ice cream. *Takes ice cream and walks away*<br />

Me: NO! *Screams into air*<br />

A few weeks went by and I got closer to the Cullen family. <strong>The</strong>y were great friends<br />

and they had proved themselves to be trustworthy again. Trust is very important in<br />

the criminal business because if you're considered trustworthy, your life depends on<br />

that person.<br />

Edward was slowly becoming closer to me but his friendship didn't seem like the<br />

friendship I had with the others. It felt like something more than friendship. We<br />

would flirt during lunch, much to the amusement of the table and Edward would<br />

always find ways to give light touches. I was ashamed to say that I was developing a<br />

crush on him.<br />

That was turning out to be very dangerous territory.<br />

One day during lunch, Edward mentioned the upcoming Halloween fund raiser.<br />

- 77 -


"Oh, I can't wait to go!" clapped Alice "I'm planning the outfits for Jasper and me.<br />

We're going as something completely original."<br />

"What would that be?"<br />

"I don't know yet but when I do, I'll make sure to tell you so that we don't wear the<br />

same outfits."<br />

"Well, I think I'll be going as a nurse and Emmett will be my doctor" Rosalie said<br />

while winking at Emmett. I wrinkled my nose at them.<br />

"Don't worry Bella; their costumes won't be too raunchy for the school dance."<br />

Edward said while chuckling at me.<br />

"That's not what I was making a face for."<br />

"Oh, well then never mind. You'll get used to their rabbit ways."<br />

"Hold on, why did you think I thought their costumes were going to be too<br />

revealing? Is that what you thought the face was for? Maybe I like to go all out for<br />

Halloween." I informed Edward but he just chuckled at my reasoning.<br />

"No offense Bella, but you don't seem like the type of girl who would wear an<br />

elaborate or skimpy costume."<br />

"For your information Edward, just because you say 'no offense', it won't<br />

guarantee that the person will let themselves be insulted. So no offense, but you<br />

don't really know me as well as you think you do. Just you wait until Halloween<br />

Edward; you won't be able to recognize me."<br />

Edward smirked at the challenge. It really ticked me off when people assumed<br />

that they knew me. Alice started clapping her hands while we were staring each<br />

other down and Edward turned to look at her strangely.<br />

"I'm going to help you out with your costume Bella! Oh, it is going to be fabulous!<br />

Rosalie, you're helping as well."<br />

We settled back to talking throughout lunch while I started thinking. Pretty soon,<br />

Alice and Rosalie are going to be coming over. How was I going to explain the girls?<br />

I wanted to tell the Cullens about myself after Halloween but I guess that either I'll<br />

have to get Tuna and Fish to Moz's house or I was going to come clean soon. Real<br />

soon.<br />

- 78 -


Edward and I walked to Biology together in silence. He sensed that I needed some<br />

time thinking so he walked in companionable silence. I worked out my plan and<br />

nodded my head to myself. God, I must look stupid doing this.<br />

"Are you feeling all right Bella?"<br />

"Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"<br />

"Well, you nodded to yourself and that is not something that a normal person<br />

would do."<br />

I scoffed.<br />

"Who wants to be normal when being weird is so much better? I like a bit of<br />

craziness now and then."<br />

"That's an interesting philosophy you have there. What makes you so weird<br />

though? You don't exactly strike me as too odd."<br />

I don't know why Edward pushed my buttons so much. Other people are capable<br />

of saying those exact words and they don't bother me as much but with Edward, I<br />

always want to surprise him. Maybe I feel like I have to prove something to him.<br />

Either way, his words made me want to give him the shock of his life. I looked him in<br />

the eye and winked at his confused face.<br />

I scanned the hallway and found that it had enough room for me to pull my stunt. I<br />

went up to some people and asked them if they could move a few spaces away from<br />

where they were standing. <strong>The</strong>y happily complied. I walked a bit away, turned to<br />

Edward, and gave him a smirk. <strong>The</strong>n, I took off.<br />

When I built up speed, I flipped myself into a sideways spin off a nearby wall. I<br />

pushed myself up with my hands from the floor and did two back flips. I did a<br />

one-handed roundabout, picking up my backpack in the process. I landed in front of<br />

Edward, pecked his cheek and then ran all the way to class. As I was running, I<br />

turned and yelled "How's that for weird?" and laughed maniacally the remaining<br />

way to class.<br />

Edward walked in quickly by the time the bell rang so we didn't get a chance to<br />

talk about my impromptu performance. He kept giving me amazed looks though and<br />

I was getting tired of it.<br />

Quit it!<br />

- 79 -


Quit what exactly?<br />

Staring at me like I'm amazing or something.<br />

What would you do if I told you that you were? Amazing that is.<br />

I gaped at him and quickly scribbled back. I'm not. I'm somewhat average.<br />

He chuckled. Only somewhat?<br />

Yes. I thought we discussed my philosophy already.<br />

Speaking, or writing for that matter, of discussions, I'm quite amazed by<br />

your display of gymnastics in the hallway. Where did you learn to do that?<br />

I'm part monkey.<br />

You did look a little wild. He grinned and I tried hard to smother the giggles<br />

that were threatening to escape from my lips.<br />

Class ended and Edward waited for me to pack up my stuff. Instead of Edward<br />

going the opposite direction when we exited the class, he fell in step with me.<br />

"Edward?"<br />

"Hmm?"<br />

"Your class is the opposite way. You know that, right?"<br />

"I am well aware of my own schedule Bella." He answered with a glint in his eye.<br />

I couldn't respond to that so we walked in silence to gym class. Near the entrance<br />

to the gym, we came across Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie.<br />

"Hey Eddie! Escorting Bella to her class I see. Nice one man, make them swoon<br />

with chivalry!" Emmett shouted. Rosalie punched him in the arm and told him to be<br />

quiet.<br />

I snickered and we waved goodbye to Edward who now had to hurry if he was<br />

going to make it to class on time.<br />

Rosalie and I were chatting when she asked a question that had been on my mind<br />

- 80 -


all day.<br />

"What are you going to be for Halloween Bella?"<br />

"I don't know but I want to either freak Edward out or blow his mind."<br />

"Either that or you could drive him insane."<br />

"What?"<br />

"Oh keep up Bella. He likes you. Drive him crazy by wearing something, er,<br />

suggestive."<br />

"I want to get a costume Rosalie, not be mistaken for a whore."<br />

"That's not what I meant. I meant to wear something that will drive him wild. Use<br />

your feminine charms a bit. Dazzle him."<br />

"Rosalie, he doesn't like me like that."<br />

"What did I just finish telling you? He does like you and I think that the feeling is<br />

mutual."<br />

"No" I spluttered "I just get along with him really well. We're just friends Rosalie."<br />

"Ha. If you two are friends, I'm a three toed sloth" Jasper piped in "You two are<br />

totally in love."<br />

"Shut up Jasper, who asked you anyway?"<br />

"I can tell Hun, and you two have got it bad for each other. Just put us out our<br />

misery and ask him out already."<br />

"Why do I have to make the first move?" I whined<br />

"Because you'll be wearing the costume" winked Emmett.<br />

"You don't even know what I'll be going as! What if I showed up in a lumberjack<br />

outfit?"<br />

"Wood?" suggested Emmett and I gave him a dirty look. He snickered at his joke<br />

while Jasper and Rosalie rolled their eyes.<br />

- 81 -


"Well, that's what Alice and I are here for Bella. We're going to knock Edward's<br />

socks off."<br />

"Fine" I relented and we made plans for them to come over on Tuesday to discuss<br />

the costumes and then on Friday, we would get ready at my house.<br />

I had some explaining and sucking up to do to Moz.<br />

Have I mentioned how much I love funny Jasper? I hardly see him<br />

anywhere and whenever I do, he's always quiet and serious.<br />

I'm glad that people liked the imaginary ice cream! If you review now, I'll<br />

give you a bag of your favorite candy!<br />

- 82 -


Heists and Mice<br />

Привет! That's hello in Russian, a language I totally want to learn but I<br />

don't know why.<br />

Katy: Aw shucks, you're too kind!<br />

Kayls Cullen: XD your comment was hilarious. Loved it, seriously. I'm still<br />

writing their reactions to the past and that won't be for a while.<br />

Anyway, I'll post up a long chapter but I won't be posting up a whole<br />

bunch every day… I want to have a back up and it's my process… sorry!<br />

I'll make you guys a deal, if I get at least 10 comments, I'll post up three<br />

chapters. That's right, THREE. Tres, Tre, Trois, drie, तीन , tri and any other<br />

language you can think of. You guys up for it? It can be anything you like;<br />

your favorite part, any critiques,how your day was, the color of your socks.<br />

Alice: Tell them who it belongs to.<br />

Me: I own it!<br />

Alice: Tell them or else.<br />

Me: What can you do?<br />

*leaves and comes back with someone*<br />

Esme: Can you please tell them who it really belongs to?<br />

Me: You brought ESME? Who can deny her anything? ARGH! Fine,<br />

Twilight doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer. *Crosses arms<br />

and pouts*<br />

Esme: Thank you dear, here's a cookie.<br />

Me: Chocolate chip? Mmm...<br />

When the weekend came, I made sure to bring over Moz's favorite home-cooked<br />

meal, the painting he was asking for from one of our heists and enough dessert to<br />

- 83 -


feed a small country. Moz had a bit of a sweet tooth and I didn't care much for the<br />

painting. It was too nouveau for me.<br />

As I pulled up to his house, Trina came out and waved as I stepped out of the car.<br />

"Long time no see stranger!"<br />

"Hey Trina, where's Moz?"<br />

"He went to work this week and he said he'll be coming later tonight."<br />

"He went on a heist without telling me?" I didn't want to admit it, but I was hurt.<br />

Moz and I always told each other about the heists we were going to pull and then we<br />

swapped stories while sparring. Trina could see that she had hit a nerve.<br />

"Oh honey, it's not that he didn't want to tell you! He just thought that with you<br />

retiring, he wouldn't want to tempt you by telling you. He was only looking out for<br />

you."<br />

I nodded but kept quiet. I felt like a part of my life was being taken away. What<br />

did I have to gain for that? A high school diploma and friends?<br />

"What's all this?" questioned Trina. I shook my head and looked to what she was<br />

gesturing at.<br />

"Oh, that's for Moz and you. I have something to tell you."<br />

"What would that be?"<br />

"Uh, you both have to be here."<br />

"All right, we can just get this stuff ready and we can catch up." She grabbed a bin<br />

and headed inside.<br />

"Jeez Bella, what do you have in these bins?"<br />

"Careful! Don't jostle it; the arms have to keep cool." Trina shrieked and almost<br />

dropped the bin.<br />

"What did you do?"<br />

"Calm down Trina. I haven't killed anyone in a while. I told you guys I wouldn't do<br />

- 84 -


it again and I meant it. I'm no good as a bounty hunter. Remember the boxer<br />

fiasco?"<br />

Trina burst into laughter. "Was it the one who screamed as soon as you walked in<br />

and curled into the fetal position?"<br />

"What? Oh no, it was the other one. You know, the one Moz and I had to get."<br />

"How many boxers were you sent to kill?"<br />

"Only 5 but I couldn't bear to do it to two of them. <strong>The</strong>y had me reduced to a<br />

laughing mess. <strong>The</strong> one I'm talking about was another guy."<br />

Trina and I went into the house and I told her the story of one of the funniest<br />

bounties I had ever done.<br />

Flashback!<br />

Moz and I were gearing up for one of the hardest killings we had to do in history.<br />

We had a specific list of things to do to a wrestler that had gotten in some bad ways<br />

with some worse people.<br />

Moz and I had been following this wrestler for a week and he looked like he was<br />

going to be the hardest kill we ever had. This man was Kerlo Inatha, a wrestler that<br />

had already had his peak a while ago and lost every match afterwards. He had no<br />

family and no relatives that would miss him.<br />

I had told Moz that this was the last bounty I would do to which he eagerly agreed<br />

with. Killing had taken its toll on us and we were practically the walking dead from<br />

all the sleep we lost.<br />

Kerlo was always the last one to leave the gym after his workouts and he took an<br />

alley to walk home. I guess he figured that he could either knock out whatever<br />

mugger was stupid enough to take him on or just scare the crap out of them. It was<br />

a good thing I didn't scare easily.<br />

I was hanging on to a fire escape ladder, waiting for the perfect opportunity to<br />

pounce on him and knock him out. Moz was waiting in a dark opening to help me<br />

take him down as soon as I jumped on him. Turns out, we didn't need to do anything<br />

but watch.<br />

- 85 -


Kerlo was walking past a box when he brushed it and a rat scurried out.<br />

"Aieee!" screeched Kerlo. I had not expected such a girly scream from such a<br />

burly guy. Kerlo jumped up on a trash can and used a stick to bat the rat away while<br />

Moz and I watched curiously.<br />

"No! NO! Oh for the love of all that is holy, get it AWAY FROM ME!" screeched<br />

Kerlo while swinging the stick. He lost his grip and it went to the opposite side of<br />

the alley. He screamed louder, wiggled his body for a bit and looked around wildly<br />

for a new weapon.<br />

He really should have taken his movements slower. Heck, he should have realized<br />

that an empty trash bin could only support a 280 pound muscly man for so long. As<br />

soon as he whipped his head, he lost his footing and crashed into a dumpster. <strong>The</strong><br />

dumpster didn't knock him out though. No, Kerlo fainted from something else<br />

entirely. Turns out, there was another furry little friend in the dumpster and it<br />

landed on Kerlo's chest when he fell inside it.<br />

He had screeched for about two minutes straight without stopping, swatting<br />

wildly at the air and losing a boot in the process. I figured that he passed out from<br />

lack of oxygen.<br />

I tossed a few pebbles at his body when it got quiet and jumped down from my<br />

hiding place. Moz came out looking perplexed and as soon as we made eye contact,<br />

we howled in laughter.<br />

"I thought we would have had to use Chloroform to knock him out but all we<br />

needed was this little fella!" laughed Moz and we set to work on taking him out of<br />

the dumpster. We tied him up with rope, occasionally giggling at random times and<br />

placed him in the trunk of the car.<br />

We were driving down to our destination with "Ain't No Rest For <strong>The</strong> Wicked" by<br />

Cage the Elephant blasting through the speakers when we glanced at each other. I<br />

knew Moz wouldn't admit it, but I could see the sorrow on his face. I'm sure my face<br />

looked the same way.<br />

"I don't want to kill again Bella." Moz said somberly while staring straight ahead.<br />

"Me neither Moz, but if we don't kill Kerlo, what are we supposed to do with him?<br />

Where do we get a body, especially one as big as his?"<br />

"Beats me Bella but after this job, we're out of the killing business for good."<br />

- 86 -


"Agreed", I replied. Moz pulled over to, er, answer nature's call when the banging<br />

started.<br />

"Help! I'm trapped in a roomy trunk that smells like sweaty socks! Augh! I think<br />

something just moved in here! AIEE! Is that a mouse? AAH!" screamed Kerlo. I had<br />

been ready to knock him out again when he started yelling but from the thrashing<br />

and the mouse comment, I assumed he was going to fall unconscious again.<br />

After about 5 minutes of the car shaking, the sound and movement stopped. Moz<br />

and I still had trouble regaining our breaths from the laughing fit though.<br />

"You put a mouse in there?"<br />

"No" Moz defended "I thought you did that."<br />

"<strong>The</strong> mouse must have seen an opportunity and jumped in" I figured.<br />

We got in the car and arrived at our destination, a cliff that overlooked the ocean.<br />

We had decided to hike down a bit to where a hidden cave was, collect the stuff from<br />

Kerlo, kill him quickly and painlessly, and throw him in the ocean. We even acquired<br />

a boat with about two gallons of gasoline so that we could drop him off away from<br />

the cave.<br />

Now, Moz and I weren't too sure about killing Kerlo. He hadn't really done<br />

anything. All Kerlo had done was win a fight that certain people had bet he would<br />

lose on. Kerlo had known about the bets but he decided to prove his worth. It led me<br />

to believe one thing, men are stupid.<br />

Moz and I dragged Kerlo to the cave and sat until he regained consciousness.<br />

Kerlo seemed to have knocked himself out well because we started getting hungry. I<br />

pulled my beanie on and huddled my knees close to keep warm while Moz went to<br />

go get some food.<br />

After about 5 minutes, I heard a raspy voice.<br />

"Sweet baby Jesus! I've been kidnapped by a midget! Ugh, can this day get any<br />

worse?"<br />

I looked up. Had he just called me a midget? I'd never been so offended! I<br />

narrowed my eyes at him and stood up to talk to him.<br />

"If you cooperate, we can discuss some important things."<br />

- 87 -


"Cooperate? Are you freaking kidding me? Hold on, are you a chick? Heavens to<br />

Betsy this is SO emasculating!" Kerlo moaned.<br />

"Chick?" I exploded "This chick can kick your butt from here to Switzerland! How<br />

dare you say that? Of all the things I've ever heard, midget chick has to be the most<br />

offending. I'm average sized for a girl!"<br />

Kerlo and I spent the entire time arguing until we glared each other down. Moz<br />

walked in and looked at us.<br />

"So, Kerlo's awake I see."<br />

"Yep" I replied shortly.<br />

"What's going on between you two then?" He asked again.<br />

"I'm gonna kill him. <strong>The</strong>n we'll stop, I promise."<br />

Kerlo looked a bit afraid while Moz cracked a grin and then started laughing. He<br />

turned his attention to Kerlo.<br />

"What did you do? No, no, she doesn't get that mad unless someone tries to kill<br />

her. What did you say?"<br />

"I didn't say much."<br />

"He called me a midget chick." Moz laughed again and shook his head at Kerlo.<br />

"You're in deep, man. I learned some time ago that you never call her short." He<br />

winked in my direction. I smiled at the memory of our first meeting where he called<br />

me a short fry.<br />

"What do you want with me?" Kerlo asked warily.<br />

"Here's the thing K, can I call you K? Eh, I'll do it anyway. You got into problems<br />

with bad people. Those people want you dead. We are said mercenaries." Moz<br />

explained. Kerlo drained of all color and started crying. Seriously? This man was<br />

about 40 and he's crying like a newborn.<br />

"Quit your whining and crying." I growled at him and he reduced to whimpers and<br />

sniffles.<br />

- 88 -


"Here's the thing K, my colleague here had another idea which you sort of<br />

screwed up with as soon as you called her a midget chick."<br />

"What was it?"<br />

"Apologize and find out K." Kerlo looked up at me and gave me a pleading gaze. I<br />

was glad I wasn't a sucker for puppy dog eyes. He heaved in a huge breath and blew<br />

it out.<br />

"I'm sorry for calling you a midget chick. From now on, I'll call you average sized<br />

person of the female persuasion." He said sincerely. I glared at him and then I<br />

couldn't hold it in anymore. I cracked up.<br />

"Oh man, that's a new one! Average sized person of the female persuasion. Kind of<br />

rolls off the tongue doesn't it?" I asked Moz and he joined in with the laughter. Kerlo<br />

looked confused and scared. I smiled at him and he took that as a sign of<br />

forgiveness.<br />

"So what was the deal?" piped in Kerlo when I quieted down.<br />

"Oh, that. I was going to fake your death and move you to a new place for a fresh<br />

start."<br />

"You'd do that for me?" asked Kerlo in wonder. He looked genuinely pleased at my<br />

offer and new tears sprung to his eyes. He thanked me repeatedly and we set off to<br />

fake Kerlo's death.<br />

"Uh, Average? Could you take these ropes off me?" Kerlo asked from the floor and<br />

we realized that his help was needed for our plan. We took off the ropes and set to<br />

work with the supplies Moz had bought.<br />

"You sure can forge papers well Average. " admired Kerlo and I beamed at him.<br />

"Hey K, you can call me Mick." I told him. He looked confused and asked what it<br />

stood for. I couldn't very tell him my real name so I figured he had to call me<br />

something.<br />

"Well, the name you gave me isn't very good so I'll let you call me Mick. It stands<br />

for Midget Chick."<br />

"I thought I couldn't call you that."<br />

- 89 -


"Well it sounds better than Aspotfp." I winked. Kerlo cracked up and got to work<br />

on the slabs of meat and shirt.<br />

"Hey K, what would you like your new name to be?" asked Moz from the other side<br />

of the cave.<br />

"Jim." Moz and I looked over at him with confused looks.<br />

"Why Jim? It's so average."<br />

"It's my real name but no one ever knew because nobody ever called me that. I'd<br />

like to be called Jim. Jim Mick. Jimmy Mick. " He told us with a twinkle in his eyes. I<br />

felt flattered that he used my nickname as his last name.<br />

We put everything together and while he was sleeping, Moz and I sneaked out and<br />

left him with a care package. It was the last time I ever saw Jim.<br />

Flashback Over!<br />

"He used your last name?" asked Trina amazed.<br />

"Yeah."<br />

"Well, what happened to him? What did you leave him?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> package had enough money for him to start a new life and all of his<br />

documents. I still get monthly letters from him sent to a P.O box." I told Trina while<br />

chopping up the cucumbers into shapes. She was quiet for a while so I turned my<br />

head to her.<br />

"I can't believe you went through all that trouble for some guy you don't know."<br />

She said in amazement. I shrugged. It had to be done in my opinion. I liked Jimmy<br />

and relished the letters he sent me every month. I was glad that he found a great<br />

girl and has a little daughter. He gave her my name as her middle name once I told<br />

him my real name. I felt so honored and kept the pictures he sent me every year.<br />

Once in a while, I would send one back to him, holding money and a present for little<br />

Katie.<br />

"What else was I supposed to do Tri? Killing just isn't for me."<br />

- 90 -


"Well, now I know why Moz is so fond of you. You've got a big heart. " Trina<br />

smiled at me. I smiled at her and leaned over to give her a hug. We held on to each<br />

other until the door opened and a surprised Moz walked in.<br />

"Hey, hey, what's all this about?"<br />

"Oh no Trina! He's found out about our secret affair."<br />

"I'm sorry Honey!" sobbed Trina "Our love couldn't hold a candle compared to<br />

Bella's passion! It's sad that you had to find out this way but it's better that you<br />

know now."<br />

"Ha ha." Moz said drily "I was referring to the food."<br />

"You don't believe I could rock Trina's world?"<br />

"No sweetie, I just don't think that you can top this" he winked as he gestured to<br />

his torso.<br />

"Well Bella, I'm gonna have to dump you now that Moz showed me his killer<br />

T-shirt. If only you had clothes with a funny picture on it, then you could truly win<br />

me over."<br />

"Oh shut up. So Bella, what do you want?"<br />

"Whatever do you mean Moz?" I asked innocently.<br />

"Nothing, I guess. I had just thought that you brought food to ask me for<br />

something but if you were, you would have brought…" his voice trailed off as he<br />

opened the fridge which had two shelves fully stocked with dessert. He whirled,<br />

crossed his arms and gave me a look. Nobody moved a muscle.<br />

"Do you know how much I love you Moz?"<br />

"Cut the crap Bella, what do you want?"<br />

"What makes you think I want anything Moz? What if I did this out of the kindness<br />

of my heart and to show my appreciation?"<br />

"You only bake when you want to butter someone up, namely me. Just tell me.<br />

What did you do?"<br />

- 91 -


"I promise it isn't anything as bad as the turkey thing."<br />

"What turkey thing?" Trina asked confused.<br />

"You don't want to know" Moz and I said simultaneously. We still got shivers just<br />

thinking about it.<br />

"What is it then?" Moz asked tiredly.<br />

"I just need you to take Tuna and Fish for a week and then I gotta talk to you guys<br />

about something important."<br />

"Oh, that's it? That's not so bad but don't tell us the other thing until after the<br />

roast beef, I'm starving!"<br />

We set the table and enjoyed the meal together while talking of the weirdest<br />

heists we've done. While I served Moz his red velvet cheesecake, his favorite, I<br />

waited until he took a few bites to tell him my news.<br />

"I'm going to tell the Cullens about my past." I blurted out.<br />

Moz choked on his cake and his eyes bugged out. Trina had started coughing from<br />

the milk she was drinking. I looked at their shocked expressions and waited for them<br />

to say something. Is this what regular teenagers had to go through with their<br />

parents? How I pitied them.<br />

"You're going to WHAT?" asked Moz outraged. His face turned red and he looked<br />

angrier than I had ever seen him.<br />

"Well, I'm getting pretty close to them and they seem to be loyal. I also keep<br />

getting this feeling that maybe I shouldn't be lying to them and it consumes my<br />

every thought."<br />

"So write your feelings in a journal, don't go around telling other people about<br />

who you really are!"<br />

Moz and I had never had a fight like this before and I kept getting this<br />

overwhelming urge to punch him in the face.<br />

"Don't tell me what to do Moz. I just said I was thinking about it but you didn't<br />

have to go off on me like that."<br />

- 92 -


"Don't do stupid things then!"<br />

"You know what, I'm leaving. Enjoy your dinner and have a nice life jackass." I<br />

stormed out of the house with my dessert and walked to my truck.<br />

"Bella, wait!" shouted Trina from the doorway and ran out to my door. She paused<br />

to catch her breath while I struggled to keep my temper.<br />

"I'll find some other plan for Tuna and Fish Trina. Don't trouble yourself."<br />

"No honey" she pleaded "It just came as a shock but I'm glad you want to open up<br />

to someone. I'm not sure if it's the wisest choice but I'm glad all the same. Just<br />

remember to be careful and you can go ahead and drop off the girls. This will all<br />

blow over. I'll talk to him and make him see sense."<br />

I nodded my head in her direction and raced out of the driveway on my way home.<br />

Maybe telling the Cullens needed to be reconsidered but my feelings weren't going<br />

to change overnight.<br />

I sat on my couch in the living room with Fish close to my chest and my head<br />

resting on Tuna's neck. I felt truly alone now but as I thought more about it, I<br />

decided that I would wait until I was sure I could trust the Cullens undoubtedly to<br />

tell them my secret. I mean, what did they have to hide?<br />

Aw, Bella had a fight with our Moz! :'(<br />

In other news, does anyone watch White Collar? I was so sad that the shot<br />

one of my favorite characters, Mozzie.<br />

Coincidence?<br />

No, not at all. I totally took that name from that show. It's so freaking<br />

cool.<br />

So, review and I'll give you a virtual high five! It's just slapping your<br />

computer but it's super fun. Go ahead, try it. Did you do it? Huh? Did ya?<br />

Did ya?<br />

- 93 -


He did what!<br />

Hi all! Well, I was doing homework and a thought popped into my mind. It<br />

went "What the heck are reviews for anyway?"<br />

So if you could answer that, kudos to you. I, however, will be posting up a<br />

new chapter regardless of reviews.<br />

Aslin: I'm so sorry, I didn't know! Agh, I feel like such a jerk for giving<br />

away something…. Well, no, Mozzie doesn't die. He just got shot.<br />

Weird, I looked in my sink and was all "Whoa, smashed apple. When did<br />

that happen?"<br />

Anyway, Twilight doesn't belong to me.<br />

I dropped off the girls on Monday morning before school started and waved at<br />

Trina. Moz was still upset at me so he holed himself in his workshop. I knocked on<br />

the door and let myself in. Moz was in a black wife beater, shaping a block of wood<br />

into a chair. He was a talented carpenter and I watched as the muscles rippled with<br />

his every move.<br />

"Done ogling?"<br />

"Gimme 10 more minutes." I smirked and he chuckled.<br />

"Moz, I don't plan on telling them unless it's under extreme circumstances." I said<br />

quietly after a while.<br />

"You shouldn't be telling them at all."<br />

"It's my decision to make."<br />

"You're not thinking about everyone that it involves" he raised his voice.<br />

"It only involves me" I replied calmly.<br />

"No it doesn't Bella! Have you forgotten about me?"<br />

- 94 -


"You're not involved Moz! Why do you keep including yourself?"<br />

"Because you're all I have!" he screamed. I was surprised.<br />

"You're all I have" he repeated quietly and sunk down on his chair. I made my way<br />

over to him and sat in his lap. I started stroking his head while he sobbed quietly on<br />

my shoulder.<br />

"That's not true Moz" I soothed "Trina's here and I want you to remember that I'll<br />

always be there. I'm never going away and don't you ever forget that. Do you hear<br />

me?"<br />

He nodded and we sat there in silence for a while.<br />

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" he croaked.<br />

"Oh. Darn I probably should…" I trailed off as soon as I looked into Moz's face.<br />

How could I think about leaving him after he bared his insecurities today? "You<br />

know what; school could do without me for one day. What am I going to miss?"<br />

Next day:<br />

"Oh man Bella, you missed it!" Alice said to me on Tuesday. I had spent the whole<br />

day with Moz doing random activities that we pulled out of a hat. Trina opted to stay<br />

home to give us some "Boz" time as she called it. We played "I Want You To" by<br />

Weezer on repeat the entire time and sang along to it the whole day. It had been a<br />

great day.<br />

"What did I miss? Stink bomb? Girl fight? Food fight? Break dancing contest?<br />

Brownie stomping?"<br />

"No, no, no, and break dancing Bella? Really? Does it look like anyone here can<br />

pop or lock? Where did you even see Brownie stomping before?"<br />

"I don't know, Eric looks like he could bust a move. Brownie stomping is what you<br />

do to disgusting rock hard brownies. Breaks your shoes too if they're made by Ms.<br />

Fredel."<br />

"No Bella! You're missing the point! You missed something big! Who the heck is ?"<br />

"Well, what did I miss? Stop dropping hints and just tell me already!"<br />

- 95 -


"I can't do it now but I'll tell you later" she said and walked away.<br />

"You what? Come on Alice! You get your pixie butt over here and tell me what I<br />

missed!"<br />

"Later Bella" she shouted while waving her hand in my direction.<br />

I frowned in her direction and walked to English class where I slumped in my seat.<br />

I looked over towards Jessica and Lauren and smiled at them. <strong>The</strong>y scowled at me<br />

but then a worried look crossed their faces and Jessica waved at me hesitantly while<br />

Lauren looked down at her desk. What had happened yesterday?<br />

<strong>The</strong> time flew by and I found myself sitting at lunch with the Cullens again,<br />

smiling at a story Emmett was telling about the day he wanted to try on pantyhose.<br />

"…. When they ripped, I knew I was a goner but who knew it would be so hard to<br />

put those things on? <strong>The</strong>y're so fragile too! I mean, as soon as it touched my skin,<br />

they fell to pieces in my hands!"<br />

"I told you that your hairy legs broke them!" Rosalie said while throwing a chip at<br />

his head. Emmett feigned hurt and slumped onto Edward.<br />

"Get off of me you big oaf!" laughed Edward.<br />

"So Bella, are you ready for this afternoon? Do you have any Halloween costumed<br />

ideas?" Alice chirped while pushing around her salad. I didn't blame her, lettuce was<br />

supposed to be green, not brown.<br />

"I do have a few ideas but what I really want to know is what happened<br />

yesterday."<br />

<strong>The</strong> Cullens froze and looked at each other before sneaking glances at Edward.<br />

Had he been part of the event of yesterday? I feigned ignorance when they shifted<br />

their eyes back to me. I would question Edward in biology.<br />

"Don't worry about it Bella" dismissed Alice but her eyes were communicating that<br />

she would tell me later.<br />

Soon, the bell rung and we were on our way to Biology. Mr. Banner needed to<br />

create quizzes for next week so he popped in a movie.<br />

I slid a note over to Edward.<br />

- 96 -


So, what did you do to Lauren and Jessica yesterday?<br />

What makes you think I did anything to them or even anything at all for<br />

that matter?<br />

Don't give me that innocent spiel. I have a sneaking suspicion that you did<br />

something yesterday that was newsworthy. Now tell me or else. He rolled his<br />

eyes and looked at me. I held his gaze until he sighed and scribbled on the paper.<br />

Lauren and Jessica were saying some petty things about you yesterday and<br />

I intervened. That's all.<br />

That's all? What's so bad about that?<br />

People make up different versions as to why I did it but I did it because<br />

you are my friend and I do not enjoy seeing my friends get hurt, even if they<br />

took a mental health day ;)<br />

I smiled at him and faced the front as I chewed over my thoughts. I don't know<br />

why, but his comment twisted something in my gut. Were Rosalie, Alice, Emmett,<br />

and Jasper right? Did I have feelings for Edward?<br />

<strong>The</strong> bell rang and we walked to gym where we ran suicides all day. I had to feign<br />

tiredness and it appeared that the Cullens were faking as well. That seemed odd.<br />

Rosalie and Alice walked over to my car and we set off towards my house. When<br />

we got there, Alice used the giant eraser board in my bedroom to jot down costume<br />

ideas.<br />

"So, I had three ideas in mind for my costume. One was a zombie bride, another<br />

was a burlesque girl and the last ones were either a mermaid or a nun." Alice jotted<br />

them down and looked toward Rosalie. Rosalie had an evil glint in her eyes and<br />

Alice's eyes sparked as well as if they had an inside joke.<br />

"What is it guys?" I asked uneasily.<br />

"Oh, I have a feeling that one of these costumes will drive Edward especially<br />

crazy."<br />

"Really? Wait, crazy in a good way or a bad way?"<br />

"Good way, definitely." Rosalie said smugly.<br />

- 97 -


"Which one? <strong>The</strong> mermaid?"<br />

"No silly, the burlesque outfit."<br />

"Oh, well I had only thought of it because I loved the era of the 20s and 30s. <strong>The</strong><br />

mermaid was just because of the movie I was watching last night."<br />

"Well, the burlesque outfit is going to be great. You're going to drive our little<br />

Eddie wild."<br />

"Ha, I doubt that."<br />

"You don't believe us?" asked Rosalie with attitude.<br />

"Did Edward tell you in Biology what really happened yesterday?" Alice<br />

questioned.<br />

"Yeah. Wait, how did you know what I asked him in biology?"<br />

"Just a feeling I had" she shrugged "What exactly did he tell you?"<br />

I walked over to my backpack and showed them the note we had written to each<br />

other. Alice and Rosalie read it quickly and looked up at me with knowing faces.<br />

"Oh Bella darling, that's just the gist of what happened yesterday. Here's what<br />

really happened." Rosalie informed while settling down on the chair.<br />

"Lauren and Jessica were spewing lies about you to anyone who would hear and<br />

they said a particularly mean comment about how you were a 'Lying bastard<br />

whore'."<br />

"Lying bastard whore?" I interrupted, "That's a new one, I've never been called<br />

that before. Let me write that down." I said while pulling out my journal and jotted it<br />

down.<br />

"How many times have you been insulted?" asked Rosalie perplexed.<br />

"More than I can count but I only write down the ones I ever really liked." I told<br />

them as I wrote down the names of the people and the insult. I closed the book and<br />

gestured to Alice. "You can continue."<br />

"Right, so they called you that but what they didn't notice was Edward walking<br />

- 98 -


ehind them. <strong>The</strong>n, he went off."<br />

"Oh my gosh, he hurt them?"<br />

"No, he just defended you!"<br />

"So? He already told me he did that. What's the big deal?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> big deal, Bella" Rosalie piped in "is what he said to defend you."<br />

"Well, what did he say?"<br />

"He said, and I quote, 'Don't talk like that about Bella. She's twice the woman that<br />

you will ever hope to be and she does not deserve your childishness. She only<br />

deserves love!' Lauren and Jessica snorted and asked 'Who would ever show her<br />

love?' and Edward yelled 'ME!'"<br />

I sat unmoving on my bed. Edward had said that? He said I deserved love? From<br />

him? I didn't know what to say and I looked helplessly at Alice and Rosalie.<br />

"Well Bella, what do you think about that? It shows definite proof that he truly<br />

cares for you! Aren't you excited?"<br />

"Well first, you can eerily mimic Edward's voice well. Second, why didn't he tell<br />

me that?" I asked sadly. Had Edward not mean what he said or did he love me in a<br />

different way?<br />

"No honey, he has just never felt like this before so he doesn't know how to react<br />

to a gorgeous girl."<br />

I snorted.<br />

"If I'm gorgeous, you two are sinfully beautiful women. I'm nothing compared to<br />

you."<br />

"Oh sod off Bella. You're hot and you should embrace that. You should also let<br />

Edward see that too. What do you say to making him fall for you this week?" Rosalie<br />

conspired.<br />

"I say, how do we do it?"<br />

Alice and Rosalie grinned and we created a wardrobe for the week. Operation<br />

- 99 -


Drive Edward Crazy had begun.<br />

Ooh… long operation name….<br />

Yay! Bella's friends with Moz again!<br />

Anyway, I'm gonna go to school now but first, I must finish breakfast.<br />

Mmm, bagels.<br />

- 100 -


Red<br />

Aloha! Oh, I'm so excited! I just found out that I passed my PRAXIS! I was<br />

all "Wait, is my score good?" and then I checked and I was all "FINALLY!"<br />

So, I got so excited, I started writing more chapters and wanted to give you<br />

guys another chapter. I'm so happy :D<br />

Alice: Two chapters right after another?<br />

Me: yep!<br />

Alice: Why?<br />

Me: I'm over the moon with happiness! I passed! I passed! I own Twilight!<br />

I passed!<br />

Alice: What did you say?<br />

Me: I passed?<br />

Alice: *gives me a look*<br />

Me: *groan* Fine, I don't own Twilight.<br />

I woke up the next morning and then remembered the evil plan for this week.<br />

With a grin, I went off to do my morning routine and wore my clothes for today. I<br />

wasn't sure how the outfit would drive Edward wild but it made me feel cute.<br />

I had dressed in a red checkered long shirt and black leggings. I tied a black belt<br />

around my waist and pulled on some red flat boots. I dug around in my jewelry box<br />

and slipped on a red braided bracelet and a strawberry necklace. I don't know why,<br />

but Alice had insisted I wear something that relates to strawberries today.<br />

I went downstairs to eat some cereal and started thinking. Alice and Rosalie said<br />

that Edward liked me but did I feel the same way? Did Edward actually feel that way<br />

as well? I had to admit that he was gorgeous but he was also fun to be around and<br />

he was wicked smart. Over the weeks, I felt myself getting closer to him and liking<br />

him more. I loved to make him smile, the mischievous glint in his eyes when we<br />

teased each other and I was mesmerized by his laugh. I had had crushes before but<br />

- 101 -


this felt different.<br />

After my musings, I glanced over at the clock and realized I was late for school. I<br />

grabbed my red pea coat and ran out the door. How could I have let time go by so<br />

quickly?<br />

I squealed into the parking lot and ran across the campus to my English class. I<br />

made it in the door on time and collapsed in my seat. Good grief I was out of<br />

practice. I resolved to work out during the weekend and focused on the lesson. <strong>The</strong><br />

day had gone by slowly and I found myself counting down the minutes until lunch. I<br />

couldn't wait to see Edward and the rest of the Cullens. I froze at that thought. I did<br />

have feelings for Edward.<br />

<strong>The</strong> thought rattled me. I had started the whole plan just to please Alice and<br />

Rosalie's speculation about Edward liking me but now, I wished that what they were<br />

saying is true. I walked out of the classroom in a daze only to find Edward outside<br />

my classroom. He became rigid and his eyes turned a dark color.<br />

"Hey Edward, what are you doing here?"<br />

"I came to walk with you to lunch" he said stiffly.<br />

"Are you okay?"<br />

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just, can you give me a moment please?" he asked and he walked<br />

away.<br />

I stared at his retreating back confusedly. Had I done something wrong? I<br />

shrugged my shoulders and walked to lunch. I arrived at the table to find only four<br />

people occupying it.<br />

"Where's Edward?"<br />

"Hyperventilating in the bathroom", chuckled Jasper.<br />

"Why would he be doing that?"<br />

"Oh, no reason" smiled Alice but something in her expression made me think she<br />

knew exactly why.<br />

"So Bella, I see you wore the outfit. Do you finally believe us now?" Rosalie asked.<br />

- 102 -


"Uh, I'm not sure. <strong>The</strong> jury's still out on that point."<br />

"Well we'll be here whenever you need to talk."<br />

I nodded and we continued with our lunch. Edward didn't show up and I started<br />

getting worried. Was he gone for the whole day? I walked into class and found him<br />

sitting in his desk. He seemed himself now and I waved at him while walking toward<br />

him.<br />

"Feeling better now?"<br />

"Yes, much better. I'm sorry for being so abrupt today but I'm better now, I<br />

promise." I nodded at his apology.<br />

"So, Alice told me what you really did to Lauren and Jessica on Monday." Edward<br />

froze and started twirling his pencil.<br />

"Oh? So, what did she say?" he asked nonchalantly.<br />

"She told me how you defended me and that you scared them a bit."<br />

"That's it?"<br />

"Yes, was there anything else?" I asked him innocently. I didn't want him to know<br />

but I was baiting him. His eyes flashed with uncertainty before he masked his<br />

expression.<br />

"No, not that I can remember." He said but he kept glancing at me from the side. I<br />

tried to keep my face straight before I laughed at his nervousness. He just looked so<br />

cute!<br />

"Well, if you do remember, I'd be glad to know what else you said." I told him<br />

coyly. He cocked his head at me and nodded his head. <strong>The</strong> class began and we<br />

turned our heads to the front. When class ended, Edward walked me to class.<br />

"You look great today Bella" he said offhandedly. I gaped at him and mumbled a<br />

thank you. Before we got to the door, I turned to say goodbye and found him to be<br />

closer than I expected. He leaned in close and put his mouth to my ear.<br />

"I love strawberries" he whispered and I shivered. He turned away and walked to<br />

his class quickly while I made my way to gym in a daze. Rosalie stood near the<br />

bleachers with a knowing look.<br />

- 103 -


"What did we tell you?" she asked smugly.<br />

"That it would work." I sighed.<br />

"And did it?"<br />

"Yes" I huffed.<br />

"A bit of gratitude would be nice you know."<br />

"So would humbleness" I fired back. We both scowled until we cracked a smile at<br />

each other. I hugged her and thanked Rosalie repeatedly.<br />

"All right, get off" she laughed "I have a reputation to keep and it doesn't work<br />

with you thanking me."<br />

I grinned at Rosalie and we spent the whole class chatting about superheroes.<br />

Jasper and Emmett joined in after a while and it turned into a full blown argument.<br />

"How can you say that Batman sucks?" asked Jasper flabbergasted.<br />

"Man, Superman owns" I scoffed.<br />

"But he has a sidekick and all those cool gadgets. He takes care of all of Gotham<br />

and he is super rich. He helps those citizens two different ways unlike Mr.<br />

Struggling Writer Clark Kent." Emmett retaliated.<br />

"Hold it right there buddy!" fumed Rosalie "Superman has actual powers while<br />

Batman is just a bored rich boy."<br />

"Superman is weakened by Kryptonite. Just take out a piece of rock and he gets as<br />

limp as a rag doll" Jasper said.<br />

"Batman has weaknesses too!" I exploded.<br />

"Like what?" Jasper scoffed.<br />

"Like the fact that he can get shot and die!" Rosalie pointed out. We high fived at<br />

that and stuck our tongues out at the guys.<br />

"He has a bulletproof cape!" Emmett said in an incredulous voice.<br />

- 104 -


"Dude, capes aren't a good idea. Haven't you seen the movie <strong>The</strong> Incredibles?" I<br />

answered back.<br />

"You're using facts from a children's movie?" questioned Jasper.<br />

"You're defending a bulky superhero?" I shot back.<br />

We all looked at each other and roared in laughter.<br />

"Well this has certainly been an entertaining gym." Emmett mused. We all<br />

changed and walked to the parking lot together while debating who we would<br />

discuss tomorrow. I turned my head and saw Edward leaning on his Volvo. Jeez, he<br />

was hot. He waved at us and I mentally swooned at his crooked smile.<br />

When we reached his car, everyone got in except him.<br />

"Aren't you going to get in?"<br />

"Nope, I'm waiting for Alice. She primps before she goes anywhere." He rolled his<br />

eyes while smiling at me.<br />

"Well have fun waiting, Bye Edward." I waved at him but as I turned he grabbed<br />

my arm.<br />

"Did you want something?" I asked him.<br />

"No, I just wanted to… say goodbye I guess. Uh, Bye." He rushed out while letting<br />

my arm go. I walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.<br />

"I'll see you tomorrow Edward." I told him and walked away from him. I put my<br />

fingers up to my tingling lips and when I looked in my rearview mirror, I saw<br />

Edward holding his cheek with a smile. I looked forward to the rest of the week.<br />

I totally agree with Bella. Batman is stupid. My friend and I have fights<br />

about this all the time so I put it in the story for some reason…<br />

Aw, Bella's so sweet! She kissed Edward! Well, on the cheek but it's still<br />

cute.<br />

Outfit is on my profile! Oh, be on the lookout for next chapter, it's going to<br />

- 105 -


e Halloween!<br />

I'm watching America's Next Top Model and this one girl is super creepy.<br />

Well anyway, I'll see you guys when I see you!<br />

- 106 -


Halloween Fun<br />

Hey there! It's Halloween time… Oooh, scary isn't it? Well, it is in the story<br />

but not now.<br />

Anyway, costumes will be on my profile so you can check those out. I got<br />

some good suggestions from some people and I might be using them!<br />

Anyway, I'm happy that people still like the story. I'm having fun writing it<br />

and a few other plot lines have been swirling about in my head but I won't<br />

start on those until I've finished this one.<br />

Me: Twilight belongs to me!<br />

Rosalie: *glares at me*<br />

Me: Uh, never mind. Did I say me? I meant Stephenie Meyer. Did I do well?<br />

Rosalie: *gives a disgusted snort and walks away*<br />

Me: That's good right?<br />

Friday quickly came and I found myself in my room with Rosalie, Alice and Angela.<br />

Alice invited her along yesterday during one of her classes and Angela eagerly<br />

agreed. I liked Angela. She was a sweet girl and shy but she seemed to be coming<br />

out of her shell as the minutes ticked by.<br />

Angela's costume was a butterfly. She had on a pale green dress, some beautiful<br />

wings, green peep toe heels, a butterfly necklace and a handmade headband that<br />

had green feathers wired on to a green headband. She looked stunning and she<br />

blushed when we openly gaped at her. Her boyfriend Ben was going as a butterfly<br />

catcher.<br />

Rosalie came out of the bathroom dressed up as Wilma Flintstone. Her white<br />

dress hugged her body and she put on some nude ballet flats so that she would look<br />

barefoot. She clipped on her white choker and was fixing her wig in the mirror.<br />

"You could totally pass for a redhead Rosalie" I commented while we were waiting<br />

for Alice to come out.<br />

- 107 -


"Really?" she asked hopefully. I shook my head while Angela tried to keep her face<br />

straight. Rosalie narrowed her eyes at me from the mirror.<br />

"Oh, ha ha. Make fun of the blond, she's used to it." She mocked.<br />

"All right, have you heard this one Rose? A blond walks into a bar…"<br />

"Shut up Bella!" she screamed and whirled to face me when Alice cleared her<br />

throat. We turned and looked at her. She looked so pretty but I wasn't sure what she<br />

was supposed to be going as.<br />

"Well, what do you think girlies? How do I look?" She twirled in her dress.<br />

"You look so vintage" marveled Angela while Rosalie and I nodded.<br />

"Thanks! Jasper's going as a WWII soldier and I decided to go along with the<br />

1940s theme. I would have screamed if I had to go as a civil war girl one more time."<br />

She shuddered. Rosalie chuckled and shook her head.<br />

"Jasper likes the civil war?" I asked.<br />

"He's a fanatic. I went along with it for a while but those dresses are hell to walk<br />

in and they make me look shorter than I really am." She huffed. Alice looked great in<br />

her black wiggle dress. She placed a butterfly belt around her waist, a silk flower<br />

hair clip, a bead necklace, and some pretty heels. She looked as if she literally<br />

stepped out of a photograph from the 40s.<br />

I went into the bathroom and pulled on my costume. I felt ridiculous but I wanted<br />

to prove something to Edward about me being spontaneous. I pulled on my dark<br />

purple corset dress, struggled with my striped tights, pulled on my dark purple<br />

T-strap heels and placed a dark purple pin up flower in my hair. When I stepped out,<br />

the girls were slack jawed.<br />

"So, how bad is it?" I asked nervously.<br />

"Bad? Bella, you're hot!" Alice screamed.<br />

"Yeah Bella, she's right. If I didn't have Emmett, I'd do you." Rosalie said<br />

matter-of-factly. Angela and Alice snickered at my blushing cheeks.<br />

"Jeez Rose, if you wanted me that bad, all you had to do was ask." I joked and she<br />

winked in my direction.<br />

- 108 -


"Forget about Edward Bells, I want you all for me." She teased. We all laughed<br />

and sat as Alice did my makeup and Rosalie did Angela's. Afterwards, we took<br />

pictures of us in our costumes. Rose and I did one where we mock kissed and<br />

another where Alice and I did vogue poses. We had a blast and soon, it came time<br />

for us to go to the Halloween fund raiser.<br />

We all put on our coats and made our way to school. <strong>The</strong> boys were waiting for us<br />

in the front and they all looked nice. Emmett was Fred of course but Jasper looked<br />

dapper in his WWII costume. Ben looked so adorable in his butterfly catcher's suit<br />

but Edward was another story.<br />

I wasn't sure if Alice had something to do with his costume choice but looking at<br />

him turned my knees to jelly while simultaneously making me giggle. He was<br />

wearing a black gangster Zoot suit but it was less baggy than other suits. He had a<br />

green tie around his neck, a green handkerchief in his pocket, and a black fedora<br />

with a feather. He looked good but the only thing that made him look ridiculous was<br />

the fake mustache on his lip. <strong>The</strong> girls walked up to their respective dates to greet<br />

them and I turned to Edward with a smile.<br />

"Hey Bella."<br />

"Hey Edward, what died on your lip?" Emmett roared in laughter while the others<br />

snickered along. Edward frowned at me and turned to glare at Alice.<br />

"I told you I looked ridiculous in this costume!"<br />

"It's not the outfit, it's your stupid accessory." She retaliated.<br />

"Alice is right Edward. You look downright sexy in this outfit but the mustache is<br />

just a tragedy." I piped in before he said anything back to Alice. He looked surprised<br />

by my comment and then gave me a sly smile.<br />

"So I'm downright sexy?" he asked in a teasing tone. Crap. Had I said that? I<br />

couldn't take it back and everyone started chuckling at my reddening face.<br />

"Uh, was that what I said? I meant you look great and the only way to... Oh look!<br />

<strong>The</strong>y have hay rides!" I pointed out and ran when everyone turned around. I had<br />

already paid for my ticket when they realized they had been duped. <strong>The</strong>y caught up<br />

to me in the coat room and as everyone filed out, I saw that Edward was waiting for<br />

me at the doorway.<br />

"You didn't finish my question Bella" Edward teased again while walking slowly<br />

- 109 -


toward me. I couldn't think or speak; I was too distracted by him. Was it getting<br />

hotter in here? Who turned up the f<br />

- 110 -


Running Away Is For Sissies<br />

Hello readers! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited! My best friend met Kellan Lutz<br />

today so this is in honor of her.<br />

She said he was super nice and she also said that he had rock hard abs. I<br />

reprimanded her for feeling him up. XD<br />

Anyway, Twilight does not belong to me. Yet. MWAHAHA! :D<br />

I woke up to the beautiful view of the mountains.<br />

See, after the Halloween fund raiser, I needed to think without distractions so I<br />

left to a hidden cabin that I would always escape to after a con or when I needed to<br />

be alone. <strong>The</strong> only one who knew about this cabin was Moz, and even he didn't know<br />

the exact location of it.<br />

It was now Friday again so that meant that I had been away for two weeks. I<br />

briefly wondered if this was something that other kids did but then I realized, I<br />

wasn't a normal kid. Over the week, I had been training myself with moving quieter<br />

and building up strength. Whenever I thought of Edward, I pushed myself harder to<br />

the point of exhaustion. I even started studying the movements of Tuna and Fish,<br />

copying their gracefulness and agility.<br />

You could tell I had nothing better to do with my time. On Saturday, I found out I<br />

got a message from Moz.<br />

"Bella! Where have you been? Oh wait, I already know. Well, Trina's been asking<br />

for you so I told her you were out but I have other news to tell you. Your home has<br />

been flooded with worried calls from teachers and students alike! Some of the<br />

students, the Cullens in particular have even gone as far as going to your house.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re was this one particular fellow who practically stalked your house, had great<br />

hair for a stalker though. Very copper. Get it? Copper? Anywho, just call me back."<br />

I quickly dialed Moz's phone and started pacing the living room floor.<br />

"Yes ma'am?"<br />

"Hey Moz, I got your message. People have been coming to my house?"<br />

- 111 -


"Yeah, especially that one guy. He seemed really sad every time and paced near<br />

your house really worried-like. I'm surprised he hasn't worn a path by now."<br />

"Why would he be there?" I asked forlorn. Hadn't Edward tried to avoid me like<br />

the plague on Halloween?<br />

"He seemed to always mutter something and on one occasion, he even shouted<br />

sorry to one of the windows."<br />

"He did? Wow. Wait, how did you know that?"<br />

"I may or may not have hacked into your security system."<br />

"I didn't put up a security system Moz."<br />

"Ah, that was your first mistake. I took the liberty to do that when I first came<br />

down there. Feel free to thank me."<br />

"Thanks Moz." I said sarcastically.<br />

"Hey Tod, I know I'm the last person who would ever say this but, you owe those<br />

people an explanation. What made you run off like that?"<br />

"Moz" I sighed "I was having a great time but I don't know. How could I ever do<br />

this to anyone? I'm no good for anyone."<br />

"Listen up here young lady" Moz thundered on the phone "You are a great person,<br />

even if you are a con artist. If these people make you feel great, then they should<br />

accept you no matter what! I don't care if you tell them your secret; it's your life to<br />

live. Just come home and be happy again."<br />

"Uh, I'm not sure Moz. How about this, I'll be heading over there tomorrow and<br />

then we can talk more in person."<br />

"Sounds like a plan Tod, I'll see you here." He said and hung up. I flopped back on<br />

the couch and heaved a sigh. I looked over at Tuna and Fish sitting next to me.<br />

"Guess we're going back" I told them and went off to pack my bags.<br />

I arrived in front of Moz's house at about 6:30 in the morning on Sunday, hopped<br />

out of the car and knocked on the door. I leaned to the right of the door and soon, a<br />

bullet that flew barely grazed my ear.<br />

- 112 -


I sighed, knocked four times on the door in a rhythm and shouted, "Open up Moz,<br />

it's Bella." <strong>The</strong> door flew open and a haggard looking Moz stood with boxers and a<br />

thin white shirt on.<br />

"Jesus Bella! When you said you were coming over, I thought you meant the<br />

afternoon not the crack of dawn!"<br />

"Calm down Moz, it's not even dawn yet. I brought you a coffee and a cookie."<br />

"I shot at you Bells! You know I hate doing that to you! What if I had gotten you<br />

that time?"<br />

"I also know that you like to shoot that gun. You don't get to use it very often and<br />

let's be real; do you think you could have gotten me?"<br />

Moz looked ready to protest but then slumped his head and grabbed the coffee.<br />

He sat across from me and rubbed his face.<br />

"So, are you going back?" he asked while taking a sip.<br />

"I don't know, maybe it's time to quit and go back to doing what I do best. I heard<br />

there was a vase from the Ming dynasty just begging to be stolen from Harve. You<br />

remember Harve, don't you Moz? Nasty little man." Moz didn't say anything.<br />

"Tod, since when did you ever quit?" he asked. I looked at him with wide eyes.<br />

"I'm not quitting, I'm just done with the whole school thing. It's not for me and<br />

let's face it, I don't belong there."<br />

"Stop it Bella. I don't know what happened exactly but this has got to stop. You<br />

claimed you were becoming friends with these Cullens and then you run away? Did<br />

something happen?"<br />

"Not anything bad" I mumbled.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>n you get your tushy to that school, tell those kids your secret if you think<br />

they can handle it and be happy. It's all I want."<br />

"You're right Moz, I'm going to go tell them my secret and see what happens. If<br />

they can't accept that, I could always disappear. I mean, they don't call me the <strong>Fox</strong><br />

for nothing."<br />

- 113 -


"Attagirl" he shouted "Go get them!"<br />

"Thanks Moz, I couldn't have found the courage without you."<br />

"You're welcome. Now, get out of my damn house so I can sleep."<br />

I laughed as I walked outside and drove to Forks. I was going to spy on the Cullen<br />

house today to see how they were first and then I would tell them tomorrow.<br />

I left Tuna and Fish at the house to rest and took to the trees in the woods. I knew<br />

for a fact that the Cullen house was 5.7 miles away from mine (it pays to be a<br />

criminal with resources) so I worked to be as quiet as possible. I knew from<br />

observation that the Cullens seemed to have superior hearing than other people had<br />

so I would take extra care to be virtually silent.<br />

Soon, I came to a tree that was far enough for them to not hear me and to make a<br />

quick getaway. I pulled my binoculars and I saw the strangest things. <strong>The</strong> boys were<br />

playing video games which was not unusual but the Esme was moving so rapidly, I<br />

could barely follow her with my eyes.<br />

I looked on the next floor and saw that Edward was talking to Alice but she wasn't<br />

responding to him. He kept saying things to her, paused, and then spoke to her<br />

again. <strong>The</strong> only way I knew that Alice wasn't ignoring him were the expressions on<br />

her face. <strong>The</strong> strangest thing I saw though was when Rosalie stepped outside, ran a<br />

few miles away at inhuman speed and crouched low. I was glad that I spent the<br />

money on these binoculars; they were military issued and great with far ranges.<br />

I kept my gaze on Rosalie and gasped when I saw what she did next. She sprang<br />

from her hiding spot, grabbed a bear, snapped his neck and buried her face in its<br />

neck. I quickly put the binoculars down, washed down my hiding place so I wouldn't<br />

leave clues behind, and raced back to my house.<br />

When I snuck in the window at my house, I ran a bath and sat in the bubbles.<br />

What had Rosalie been doing to that bear? No human could do that or the other<br />

things that the other Cullens were doing. As I finished my bath, I came up with two<br />

questions. Who were the Cullens and more importantly, what are the Cullens?<br />

I dressed in my pajamas, sat at my desk, and flipped open my laptop. I quickly<br />

searched for the oddities that I knew of the Cullens and it took about an hour to<br />

finally come up with something. <strong>The</strong>re was nothing that the government was<br />

experimenting on, so that ruled them out. Nothing interesting was happening in<br />

other countries or underground so that ruled those out as well.<br />

- 114 -


Finally, I clicked into this one site at random and snorted when I saw the title. It<br />

was a page about vampires and I went to click out of it when something caught my<br />

eye. I read a list of vampire characteristics and I froze. <strong>The</strong> Cullens fit most of the<br />

things listed here. I did a few more searches about vampires and came up with<br />

similar results.<br />

I closed down my laptop after two more hours and lay down in bed. Of three<br />

things I was sure about, <strong>The</strong> Cullens were all vampires, I loved them regardless of<br />

their lifestyle, and I would invite myself over to their house and tell them my secret<br />

tomorrow.<br />

Whoa… somebody found out the secret!<br />

Look at Bella being all proactive and reaching out to them!<br />

Anyway, I know it's short but the next one will be longer.<br />

- 115 -


Secrets<br />

Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews! I liked one of the ideas of Bella having a<br />

tattoo on her back... It got me inspired to draw it so I'm toying around with<br />

it. If i ever draw it, I'll post it.<br />

Someone also said they wanted a longer chapter so, here it is!<br />

Remember, outfits are on profile because I think I suck at outfit<br />

descriptions.<br />

Me: I own Twilight!<br />

Edward: No you don't.<br />

Me: Ok... I own Edward!<br />

Edward: No you don't!<br />

Me: You can't tell me what to do!<br />

Edward: You want me to tell people about the trash can incident?<br />

Me: Never mind! Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer! Happy?<br />

Edward: Yep.<br />

I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face. Today was the day! I dressed<br />

in a cream cashmere sweater, some skinny jeans, tied a black belt around my waist,<br />

and placed a bow necklace and some bow earrings. I put on some cream ribbon<br />

boots, placed on my Burberry scarf and gloves, stuck my knit black hat on, and<br />

pulled on my black pea coat. When I walked outside, I noticed that there was ice on<br />

everything and I thanked my lucky stars that I had thought to put chains on my tires<br />

before I went to sleep last night.<br />

I sang along to "Creepin' Up the Backstairs" by <strong>The</strong> Fratellis on the way to school<br />

and smiled when I saw the Cullens waving me down from across the lot. I couldn't<br />

wait to tell them my secret! I had been worried that they wouldn't be trustworthy<br />

but now that I knew they had a secret, I was sure of my choice.<br />

- 116 -


"Hey guys!" I waved at them.<br />

"Bella you're back!" Alice enthused and she bounded over to greet me. I was<br />

passed around to everyone and ended up in front of Edward.<br />

"I'm glad you're back."<br />

"It's good to be back" I answered back. Soon, the bell rang and we all groaned.<br />

"I don't want to go! I want to catch up and find out what you were doing!" whined<br />

Emmett.<br />

"I know! I wish I had super speed so I could talk to you guys and still go to class<br />

on time." I joked. I was baiting the Cullens and was a bit smug when they all froze.<br />

"Yeah us too" Jasper chuckled awkwardly and thy all laughed nervously.<br />

"I'll see you guys at lunch" I waved and headed off to English. <strong>The</strong> day went by<br />

quickly and I decided to tell the Cullens at lunch what I had discovered about them.<br />

When lunch came around, I met the Cullens at their table.<br />

"Hey guys, it's pretty crowded in here, want to go eat outside?" <strong>The</strong> Cullens<br />

looked at each other, shrugged and followed me outside. We sat at a picnic table<br />

that looked fairly clean before Alice pushed Rosalie a bit off to one side. Rosalie<br />

thaked her when she saw that she had almost sat in some bird droppings.<br />

"That was close wasn't it Rosalie? It's a good thing Alice pushed you away in time.<br />

It's almost like she's psychic." I elbowed ALice as I laughed to myself. <strong>The</strong> Cullens<br />

forced a laugh and played with their food.<br />

"You guys aren't hungry?"<br />

"Uh, No! We just had a big breakfast." covered Rosalie as she faked eating an<br />

orange.<br />

"Oh. Well, if you don't want that, I'll take some food from you guys. I'm so hungry,<br />

I could eat a grizzly bear!" This time, the Cullens didn't bother with polite laughter<br />

and just eyed me carefully.<br />

"That's an odd saying. Isn't it normally said 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse'?"<br />

Edward said carefully.<br />

- 117 -


"What's the fun in eating a horse?" I goaded him as I looked steadily at was about<br />

to say something but I sprang up from my seat. everyone looked at me strangely.<br />

"I have to get something from my car!" I blurted out and I walked over quickly. I<br />

collected myself as I pretended to look for something. Why couldn't I just tell them?<br />

I slapped myself, rubbed my cheek, squared my shoulders and closed my door.<br />

I was about to walk over when I heard a screech from the side. I whipped my head<br />

toward the table to see Edward's panic stricken face meet mine and I hear Alice<br />

scream "No!"<br />

I whirled in time to see that a blue van had driven over a patch of ice and was<br />

heading right towards me. All my years of training had kicked in and I planted my<br />

boots in the gravel. I sunk down, mustered up my strength and launched myself in<br />

the air as the van came close enough. A blur passed underneath my feet at the same<br />

time I made contact with the front of the van and when I turned my head, I saw<br />

Edward a few feet away from where I had been. I kicked off of the van's windshield,<br />

flipped backward and landed next to the van.<br />

<strong>The</strong> van crashed into another car but kept sliding toward me again. I groaned,<br />

rolled my eyes, and lay flat on my back just in time for the car to go over my body<br />

again. When the van stopped, I waited a bit and heard the exclamations surrounding<br />

me.<br />

"I think he killed Bella!" someone shouted while others started screaming in<br />

frenzy. I snorted and started to haul myself out from under the car. As soon as my<br />

head popped out, Alice yelled in happiness and Edward yanked me out the rest of<br />

the way.<br />

"Oh my god! Sorry Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked frantically as he pulled<br />

away from me and set me on the floor again. I pouted inwardly from the loss of<br />

contact.<br />

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thankfully, I knew what to do ahead of time."<br />

"You did? How?" Alice asked surprised.<br />

"That's a story for another time." I winked. I heard the sirens and turned my head<br />

toward them. As soon as I turned though, I felt pain in my foot. Edward saw my<br />

wince and went into protective mode.<br />

"You are hurt Bella. Oh my gosh, I should have saved you! I could have stopped<br />

- 118 -


this from happening! I'm such an idiot. Someone help! I need help over here." He<br />

yelled after muttering to himself. A paramedic came by and started to check me<br />

over.<br />

"What seems to be the problem miss?"<br />

"I have an overdramatic friend sir" I answered back. <strong>The</strong> paramedic chuckled and<br />

Edward rolled his eyes.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> car was about to crush her and she hurt her foot when she leaped out of the<br />

way." He said annoyed. <strong>The</strong> paramedic looked impressed and stated that I needed to<br />

receive medical attention. I protested but Edward insisted by hoisting me up and<br />

walking me to the ambulance. I crossed my arms and glared at him as they placed<br />

me in a gurney. Edward sat in the front and the paramedic started asking me<br />

questions.<br />

"Who do we contact in case of emergency?"<br />

"No one. I'm an emancipated minor."<br />

"Oh. From a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"<br />

"Negative 11. Listen, I don't want to waste your time or resources so can you just<br />

give me an ace bandage and I'll treat myself at home? It feels like a sprain and I'm<br />

sure you have better things to do with your time."<br />

"Sorry miss, it's our job to take you to the hospital and have your injuries assessed<br />

by a professional." He said. I gave him an exasperated look and he just shrugged as<br />

he filled out his paperwork.<br />

When I was wheeled into a room, someone took an x-ray of my leg and I sat in a<br />

room bored out of my mind. Suddenly, another gurney appeared and Tyler was<br />

wheeled in.<br />

"I am so sorry Bella! I didn't even see you and the wheels hit the ice! I didn't mean<br />

to lose control and I hope you're…"<br />

"Tyler, shush. I didn't get hurt by you so no blood, no foul."<br />

"Okay, but I'm still sorry. Can I make it up to you?"<br />

"Sure, don't do it again and we'll be even. Either that or I can try to run you over."<br />

- 119 -


I smiled at him. He laughed but then winced because of his injuries. After some<br />

time, he fell asleep and Edward walked in.<br />

"I'm still mad at you buster, so don't think you're off the hook."<br />

"You were hurt Bella. I'm not going to feel bad about you receiving medical care<br />

when you needed it. Besides, if I hadn't noticed you flinching from the pain, I am<br />

sure you would have gone to your house and used an ace bandage." He said flatly. I<br />

stuck my tongue out at him and turned when the curtain opened.<br />

A young, blond handsome man came in who reminded me of a movie star. He<br />

looked at me and I noticed his golden eyes. This must be the famous doctor that<br />

everyone talked about on my first day.<br />

"You must be Doctor Cullen" I said "Wow. People don't do you justice, you're a<br />

hottie."<br />

Carlisle chuckled at my blunt comment while Edward looked at me with an open<br />

mouth.<br />

"That's my father Bella!" said a flabbergasted Edward.<br />

"So this is the famous Bella. You didn't tell me how much of a looker she was" said<br />

Carlisle while winking at me. I giggled as Edward groaned and shook his head.<br />

"Don't enable her!"<br />

"All right" Carlisle soothed "I came in here to tell Bella her results. You seem to<br />

have been very lucky to not get hit by that van and it seems that you were right all<br />

along. You do have a sprain…"<br />

"YES!" I whooped in victory as I cut Carlisle off. Edward slapped his forehead and<br />

I started to do a happy dance on my gurney. Carlisle looked on in amusement until I<br />

calmed down enough for him to speak.<br />

"We can get your release papers and you can go home this afternoon."<br />

"What about school?"<br />

"Half the school is in the waiting room so I doubt that there will be any classes for<br />

the rest of the day" Carlisle informed us. I groaned and covered my face with the<br />

pillow.<br />

- 120 -


"What are you doing Bella?"<br />

"I'm trying to smother myself so I don't have to face the horde waiting outside." I<br />

muffled from underneath the pillow. I sat up and pouted at Edward and Carlisle.<br />

"Would it be possible for me to come over to your house? I don't want to be alone."<br />

I asked in my saddest voice. I needed to come over to their house so that we could<br />

discuss things.<br />

"Sure you can Bella, you're welcome anytime" Carlisle said kindly.<br />

I stood up, waved Edward away from trying to help me, and hobbled outside.<br />

When I caught sight of the waiting room, I backed up into a corner and pulled<br />

Edward in front of me as a shield.<br />

"Okay Edward, here's what I want you to do. Grab a wheelchair, I'll pretend I'm<br />

asleep and if anyone asks, tell them that you're dropping me off at home."<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re aren't any wheelchairs that I can use right now."<br />

"What? Why not?"<br />

"Because if you want to remain unseen, I can't really move. <strong>The</strong>re are people<br />

everywhere."<br />

"Oh no, what am I going to do?"<br />

"Trust me" Edward said and lifted me up. I yelped in surprise and grabbed on to<br />

his neck.<br />

"Now, look asleep." He commanded and my head lolled to the side as my grip<br />

loosened on his neck. He placed my head on his neck and soon, I heard conversation<br />

everywhere. People started yelling my name until Edward quietly demanded them to<br />

shut up. I tried to keep my face relaxed even when I heard Jessica exclaim how<br />

strong Edward was and what a kind friend he was.<br />

As soon as he placed me in his passenger seat and I felt the car pulling away, I<br />

opened my eyes and grinned at Edward.<br />

"What?"<br />

"Jessica was all over you, even with a girl in your arms! What was I, chopped<br />

- 121 -


liver?"<br />

"She even slipped her number in my jacket as I was leaving." He shuddered.<br />

"I guess it's nice to know that Jessica is so determined."<br />

"It's also great to know how she can't take a hint. Maybe she needs me to<br />

explicitly tell her that I am not interested in her."<br />

"Tell her you're gay. That'll probably stop her. No, no she might think that she can<br />

turn straight again. Well, I'm out of ideas."<br />

"I could tell her I'm interested in someone else" Edward said hesitatingly. I froze<br />

and blushed. I glanced at him quickly through my peripheral vision and turned to<br />

gaze out the window.<br />

"Oh?" I said nonchalantly "That could work I suppose. But, who would go along<br />

with your little plan?"<br />

"I have someone in mind" he said off handedly.<br />

"Who would that someone be?" I turned toward him.<br />

"We're here!" he announced. I looked outside and saw their house. I had been<br />

there before and even though it was brief, the house still made me gasp.<br />

I opened the door and hobbled to the door as Edward closed my door.<br />

"I could have carried you Bella; I don't want you to get hurt anymore than you<br />

already are." He grumbled as he held the door open for me.<br />

"Do I look like glass to you? No, so get over it. We can't all be superhumanly<br />

strong." I said. I noticed that he froze and smiled inwardly. Caught you Edward!<br />

"You are glass" he mumbled after the comment but I ignored him and flopped<br />

down on the white couch in the living room.<br />

"Bella! How are you doing? Oh wait, that's a stupid question because you're<br />

obviously in pain based on the way you were hobbling to the couch. So what do you<br />

want to do?" Alice rambled as soon as I sat down.<br />

"Whoa there! Jeez, what did you do, swallow a radio? Anyway, I'm fine; it doesn't<br />

- 122 -


hurt as much as people think. I actually had something in mind to do today and I<br />

guess there's no time like the present. Is everyone here?"<br />

"Sure, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie are just upstairs. Want me to call them down?"<br />

"Actually, can Esme and Carlisle be present for this as well?" I asked nervously.<br />

Alice and Edward exchanged glances.<br />

"Carlisle will come home later tonight if you wanted to wait."<br />

"Sure, what time does he come home exactly?" I asked. Alice stared off into space<br />

for a bit and then came out of it.<br />

"He'll be coming at around 4. What would you like to do in the meantime?"I knew<br />

it! Alice was definetely psychic power.<br />

"We can watch a movie?" I asked. Alice nodded and popped in "Quarantine".<br />

Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper came in when the movie started and we all settled in to<br />

watch it. <strong>The</strong> two couples sat on the couch and I sat sprawled in the loveseat with<br />

my feet on Edward's lap. I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable but he assured me<br />

that he was fine.<br />

During a part of the movie, I started laughing and everyone looked at me as if I<br />

was crazy.<br />

"How is that funny Bella?" questioned Rosalie.<br />

"Because the affected girl is so dumb!" I chuckled.<br />

"How is she dumb?" asked Jasper.<br />

"She keeps running into the camera." I said. Everyone exchanged a look and then<br />

started laughing.<br />

"Bella, the girl wasn't running into the camera, she was being killed with it."<br />

Edward explained with a smile.<br />

"Oh. Well, don't I feel stupid."<br />

We started the movie back up and spent the rest of the time making fun of the<br />

movie. We watched a few more scary movies, made fun of those as well, and by the<br />

end of the last movie, "Paranormal Activity", Carlisle walked in.<br />

- 123 -


"Bella! How are you feeling?"<br />

"Great Dr. Cullen. I was actually wondering if I could talk to your family."<br />

"Of course you can. Let me put my things upstairs and I'll be right down." Carlisle<br />

said and we moved to the dining room table. As soon as Carlisle walked in, I began.<br />

"What did you need to discuss with us today Bella?" Carlisle asked.<br />

"I actually needed to tell you some things. One was that I have a secret I need to<br />

tell you about and the other is that I know your secret as well." I noticed that<br />

everyone swiveled their heads toward me with outraged expressions.<br />

"What secret Bella?" asked Carlisle carefully after motioning for the family to<br />

remain quiet.<br />

"I know what you are."<br />

"And what would that be?" asked Edward sharply. I winced at his tone but swung<br />

my head to face him defiantly.<br />

"Vampires."<br />

"No one would believe you." Rosalie narrowed her eyes.<br />

"Who said I was planning on telling anyone? Besides, my secret is far worse than<br />

yours."<br />

"I doubt that" Jasper frowned.<br />

"Look. I love you guys and the fact that you turn into bats doesn't bother me." <strong>The</strong><br />

Cullens, except for Edward, cracked a smile at what I said.<br />

"We don't turn into bats. That's a myth along with the garlic, the coffins, and the<br />

stakes." Rosalie explained.<br />

"Aren't you interested in what we eat?" asked Edward angrily.<br />

"Attitude much? Who spit in your cookies? As for that question, I decided that if<br />

you hadn't tried to snap my neck so far, then why would it matter?"<br />

"It doesn't matter to you?" exploded Edward.<br />

- 124 -


"Nope."<br />

"We drink from animal blood, the vegetarians, as we call ourselves, of the vampire<br />

world" explained Carlisle quietly.<br />

"That explains the bear" I nodded toward Rosalie. She looked confused but before<br />

I explained it to her, I was interrupted by Edward.<br />

"It does not matter if we drink from animal blood; we still have cravings for human<br />

blood! What if killed you right now? How do you know we're safe?"<br />

"Edward, nobody's safe. Death is inevitable and I haven't died yet."<br />

"You have not been in any situation that puts your life in danger."<br />

"You don't know me as well as you think you do Edward."<br />

"What is your secret Bella?" Alice asked.<br />

"Oh, that. Well, I'm a con artist." I explained. Everyone at the table looked<br />

skeptical so I decided to show them proof. I threw their respective wallets and<br />

jewelry to them.<br />

"How did you do that? No wait, when did you do that?" asked Alice excitedly as<br />

she clipped her belt back on.<br />

"As we walked to the table. <strong>The</strong> hardest one to pick was Esme because she came<br />

in late." Esme nodded at me as she placed the hair clip back in.<br />

"Whoa, I didn't even feel that! You know who you remind me of Bella? This great<br />

con artist that people call <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y're supposed to be the greatest con artist<br />

ever and people can't catch him because he's totally unpredictable." Emmett said.<br />

"I've heard of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>, in fact, I even know who it is." I smirked.<br />

"Well who is it? <strong>The</strong>y're amazing! I started following their work as soon as I saw<br />

the first sculpture they left." Rosalie asked giddily.<br />

"You're looking at her."<br />

"No f#*ing way" Jasper breathed.<br />

- 125 -


"Jasper!" admonished Esme and he sheepishly apologized to her.<br />

"You're <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>? <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong> has been a legend for about a decade and you haven't<br />

been around that long!" Alice reasoned.<br />

"I've been a con artist for most of my life."<br />

"Oh my gosh! This is so cool." Emmett giggled. I looked at him and shook my<br />

head. I started asking the Cullens questions about themselves and they asked<br />

questions right back. I learned, well confirmed in my case, that Edward could read<br />

people's minds except for mine (Thank heavens!), Alice could see the future except<br />

for mine sometimes, and Jasper could sometimes control my emotions. Jasper's<br />

power caught me totally unaware and it fit his demeanor perfectly. <strong>The</strong> Cullens<br />

learned about my past and a few different cons that I had pulled.<br />

"So the soldier just gave you his dog tag?"<br />

"Dog tags hold special meaning to people and to him; the dog tag was his prized<br />

possession. He was grateful that I saved his life and steered the mafia away from his<br />

family."<br />

"How'd the mafia get involved?"<br />

"I have no idea. I had planned to steal a priceless painting from the mafia boss and<br />

I ended up getting caught in a scandal!" I chuckled.<br />

"Did you steal the painting?"<br />

"Of course I did! I always finish what I start. I resolved the problem with the<br />

soldier and a few weeks later, I had another con to pull so I doubled back and stole<br />

it. Two cons in one night."<br />

"Wasn't that the Two-in-one scam?" asked Rosalie with surprise.<br />

"That's what named it? Huh, I figured they would have come up with a better<br />

name." I shrugged. I stretched my back and looked at the time.<br />

"So, are you guys okay with me knowing your secret? I mean, I can leave and<br />

never come back, I'm pretty good at disappearing."<br />

"Nonsense Bella. Now this means that we don't have to hide from you any longer<br />

and it feels great that you trusted us enough to tell us your secret." Said Esme while<br />

- 126 -


the others nodded. She pulled me into a big hug and I was soon passed around to<br />

everyone else. Even Carlisle hugged me. I stood up to hobbled towards the door<br />

when Alice scooped me up.<br />

"Silly Bella, you didn't expect us to let you walk did you?"<br />

"Forgive me for thinking that the shortest of us would think to hoist my heavy<br />

carcass to the car."<br />

"You hardly weigh anything" she rolled her eyes.<br />

"Tell that to my scale" I muttered. She tinkled a laugh and placed me in the<br />

passenger seat. Alice kissed my cheek and moved aside so Rosalie could do the<br />

same. Emmett and Jasper gave me hugs and kissed my forehead.<br />

"What was all that for?" I asked. I had never really received affection from anyone<br />

before except for Trina and Moz.<br />

"We'll miss you little sister" Emmett said and I felt touched that they accepted me<br />

so well. I had been prepared to leave tonight if they reacted differently. Edward sat<br />

in the driver's seat and pulled away as the family waved and headed back inside.<br />

Edward had spent most of the discussions sitting quietly and I had to wonder if he<br />

was turning back to the jerk I had first met.<br />

"Are you mad that I know now?" I asked him. He glanced over, saw my face and<br />

sighed before turning his attention back to the road.<br />

"No I'm not mad but I am still worried that you don't know what you're doing.<br />

We're predators and you don't seem to be the least bit worried about that."<br />

"I already said that I didn't…"<br />

"Care, I know. Bella, we all care for you and I'm glad that you know but I want you<br />

to think about this a bit more."<br />

"All right, that can be arranged."<br />

"Really?"<br />

"Yep." I paused for a bit and then answered again "Ok, I thought a bit more. I still<br />

don't care."<br />

- 127 -


"You are so stubborn."<br />

"And proud of it. I don't get it Edward. Your family is okay with me knowing but<br />

you're not. Why is that?"<br />

"I have my reasons" he said cryptically. I ignored him and soon, we pulled up to<br />

my house. I opened the door to hobble but Edward zipped over to my side and<br />

picked me up.<br />

"I take it back, it is easier for you to know that we're vampires. At least I can get<br />

to you faster." He grinned. My heart thudded at his close proximity and he smiled<br />

wider. Drat, I forgot about is superior hearing. Edward went up to the door and<br />

stopped.<br />

"Can I have your keys please?"<br />

"Keys are for amateurs." I snorted.<br />

"How do you get inside then?"<br />

"Watch and learn young grasshopper." I smiled conspiratorially at him. I pushed in<br />

the light above the doorbell, typed in my number on the keypad that popped out,<br />

scanned my retina and hand, and then spoke my name into the microphone.<br />

"Whoa" Edward breathed.<br />

"I'll take that as a compliment. Before we go in, I should warn you: don't do<br />

anything rash. Do we have a deal?"<br />

"Okay" Edward replied slowly. I opened the door and went straight to the kitchen<br />

where I took out some meat for Tuna and Fish's special food mix. I placed them in<br />

bowls and filled up their water dishes.<br />

"Tuna! Fish! Momma's home!" I hollered.<br />

"You have pets? Why in the world did you give them those names?" Edward<br />

questioned. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw Tuna appear at the top of the<br />

stairs licking her lips.<br />

"Bella, get behind me. I'm pretty sure it ate your pets." Edward said in a low voice<br />

as he moved slowly toward me. I moved forward and Tuna threw herself toward me.<br />

- 128 -


"Bella no!" Edward hollered in horror. He started moving toward me and stopped<br />

in his tracks when he heard me laughing.<br />

"Chill Edward. Remember when I told you not to overreact? Well, this is Tuna.<br />

That one coming down the stairs is Fish." I motioned toward Fish trotting down the<br />

stairs. Tuna rubbed her head into me and licked my face.<br />

"You have a mountain lion as a pet? It seems that you do have a death wish Bella,<br />

this is a wild animal!" Edward yelled.<br />

"I've had them for about 5 years Edward, simmer down. <strong>The</strong>y've never hurt me<br />

before and I don't think they're secretly planning to overthrow me. Are you?" I asked<br />

Tuna while holding her face and peering into her beautiful blue eyes. She licked me<br />

and purred as I scratched her favorite spot.<br />

Edward shook his head at me and sat on the floor, leaning against the counter.<br />

Fish walked up to him carefully and poked his shoe with her little black paw.<br />

Edward looked surprised and sat frozen.<br />

"What's wrong Edward?"<br />

"Animals usually tend to avoid us but this one's coming right up to me. Why isn't it<br />

running away?"<br />

"Fish is a sweetheart. She seems to like you." I told him. He stayed absolutely still<br />

as Fish got closer to him. She sniffed his hands and got right in his face. When<br />

Edward smiled tentatively at her, Fish licked his cheek and settled down in his lap.<br />

After a few minutes, Edward slowly raised his hand up and started to stroke Fish's<br />

back. Fish snuggled closer to Edward and he relaxed a bit more.<br />

"Told you so" I sang and he made a face at me. Tuna slowly walked up to him and<br />

examined him more carefully then Fish had. After a while, she started swatting at<br />

Edward's clothes and he began play fighting with her.<br />

"So while you're acquainting yourself with my girls, I'll go and get ready for bed."<br />

I stood up. Edward nodded and started growling playfully at Tuna which she seemed<br />

to love. As I got ready, I smiled at how the day had gone. When I went back<br />

downstairs, I saw Edward browsing my book collection in my living room with Tuna<br />

and Fish trailing him.<br />

"Find anything interesting?"<br />

- 129 -


"You have a lot of books." He pointed over as he turned. I passed him and sat on<br />

the couch.<br />

"You're very observant" I remarked drily. Edward gave me a look and sat next to<br />

me.<br />

"I'm being awarded a position in the detective agency. I happen to be the best<br />

obvious stater in the country. " he said in mock pride.<br />

"No one can state the obvious like you Edward."<br />

"I do what I can. Well, not that I don't like being with you but I must go."<br />

"Oh, yeah. Sorry to take up your time. Thanks for being my chauffeur today, I<br />

really appreciate it."<br />

"You didn't take up my time Bella, I enjoyed being with you. If I could, I would stay<br />

all night but you need your sleep and I wouldn't be very much company."<br />

"You would stay here all night?" I asked surprised. Edward nodded and came<br />

closer to give me a kiss on my forehead.<br />

"I feel strongly for you Bella. Halloween is a reminder of that." He said and left as<br />

I sat rooted to the couch. Edward did have feelings for me! I felt floored. Did that<br />

mean that we could be together?<br />

EPOV<br />

How could I do that? How could I say that to her? I felt so dumb as I drove away<br />

from Bella's house. Halloween was one of the best times of my life but I went and<br />

screwed it up. We had been shamelessly flirting with each other over the weeks and<br />

I cherished every look and light touch.<br />

When Bella came dressed as a burlesque girl, a modestly dressed one, I about had<br />

a heart attack. Was she trying to drive me crazy?<br />

Over the night, she kept giving me more light touches and was making me fall<br />

head over heels when she teased me. What was it about this girl that drove me<br />

insane?<br />

When it came time for pictures, I made the biggest mistake in kissing her. How<br />

could I do that? <strong>The</strong> worst part was that she kissed back and seemed to be sad when<br />

- 130 -


I ended it but I had to. My family thought that it was because of my bloodlust but<br />

Jasper and I knew better. He didn't know the reasons behind the feelings but I did.<br />

Bella had a boyfriend.<br />

How could I forget that handsome looking fellow who came over one day and<br />

taunted me by dangling the fact that Bella was his in front of my face. I loathed that<br />

guy and envied the fact that Bella was his girlfriend.<br />

I sighed. How much I longed for Bella to be mine.<br />

When she didn't show up the next week, I thought she was sick but then we<br />

realized she disappeared. I thought it had something to do with Halloween. I knew<br />

that kissing her was a bad idea and now, she ran away because of it. I felt awful that<br />

entire week. I kept moping around the house and got on everyone's nerves.<br />

On Sunday night, I came to Alice's room to talk to her.<br />

You have to quit moping Edward.<br />

"I know but I feel like she's gone because of me. Can you check?"<br />

I meant to tell you Edward, Rosalie has a suspicion that Bella is half immune to my<br />

powers. Jasper's too. I think she might be right.<br />

"What? You mean you can't see her at all?"<br />

I didn't say that Edward. She rolled her eyes. I said that she might be half<br />

immune. I can still see her sometimes but she's almost always obscured. It's like her<br />

defense mechanism.<br />

"Well if it's a defensive power, it must be pretty powerful if it's showing in her<br />

human life."<br />

I know, she's going to be pretty powerful when she's a vampire.<br />

"That's not going to happen Alice" I growled at her. She waved her hand at me.<br />

Calm down. I've already seen it so I'm sure that it's going to happen sometime.<br />

I frowned at Alice and went to go get ready for school.<br />

- 131 -


I was glad to see Bella's car pull in and smiled at her when she turned toward us.<br />

When she was about to turn to us, the awful vision floated in to Alice's mind. When I<br />

went to go save her, I ran across the spot where she had been only to realize that<br />

she had jumped. I couldn't believe that she had saved herself and she turned to look<br />

at me in that split second when she was in the air.<br />

Soon, I figured that she had hurt herself in that amazing display of acrobatics and<br />

insisted she go to the hospital. When she asked to come to our house, my heart<br />

soared when Carlisle said yes.<br />

I felt like I was walking on air as I carried Bella to my car but the dream was<br />

interrupted by Jessica Stanley. Bella got a kick out of that when we finally reached<br />

the car. I even tried to make my feelings known when we were discussing Jessica's<br />

failed attempt but Bella didn't quite get it.<br />

When we had the discussion with Carlisle, my whole world stopped. I couldn't<br />

believe that she knew! I tried to knock some sense into her but she was stubborn.<br />

<strong>The</strong> fact that my family enabled her didn't sit well with me and I drove her home in<br />

silence.<br />

When she asked me that question in the car, I knew I could not be angry at her<br />

anymore. I carried her again to the door, secretly loving that I could hold her so<br />

close to me and stopped. She showed me how she got inside and I was so amazed, I<br />

was at a loss for words.<br />

When the mountain lion came down, I kept thinking that this day was only going<br />

to get worse and I got a bit angry when Bella told me it was her pet, along with a<br />

fox. Two wild creatures? What was she thinking? When the fox, Fish, came up to me,<br />

I felt confused and strangely happy that it chose to come to me even though I knew<br />

it sensed me as a predator.<br />

As I played around with Tuna, what a peculiar name, Bella stated she was going to<br />

get ready for bed. I tried to think gentlemanly thoughts as I heard the shower<br />

running. I glanced upstairs but then looked at Tuna. I could have sworn that her<br />

thoughts said don't even think about it buster. I wisely followed her advice and got<br />

up to go check her living room.<br />

When I was checking her vast amount of books, I heard Bella ask me a question.<br />

She looked so beautiful and cute in her duck pajamas. Her long wet mahogany hair<br />

was tied up and we started teasing each other as we sat on the couch.<br />

When I realized it was getting late and she needed sleep, I excused myself to<br />

- 132 -


leave. She felt guilty for taking up my time but how could I tell her that I had a silly<br />

crush on her? I bent down to kiss her forehead and boldly told her to remember<br />

Halloween to show her how I really felt.<br />

Maybe she would dump that guy and be with me. I snorted at my thoughts but<br />

couldn't stop the hope rising in my chest.<br />

BPOV<br />

<strong>The</strong> next day came and I dressed in some dark skinny jeans, a black kawaii fox<br />

t-shirt, a black thermal, and some dark orange boots. I put on some earrings and a<br />

necklace that had matching fox pictures on them, placed a crocheted hat on my<br />

head that had ears on them and put on my orange coat with matching orange<br />

gloves.<br />

As I drove in to school, I saw the Cullens and walked over to meet them.<br />

"Well, well, if it isn't the <strong>Fox</strong>. Being a bit literal today, aren't we?" Rosalie<br />

chuckled as she saw my get up.<br />

"Cute huh?" I asked as I twirled for them.<br />

"I would say you look foxy" Edward smiled cheekily at me.<br />

"Dude, 109 years and that's the best you could come up with?" Emmett groaned.<br />

"We have a lot of work to do" I told Emmett and Edward pouted at my comment.<br />

"You don't think I'm funny?"<br />

"You're a looker but we gotta work on your material sweetheart."<br />

"I'm looking forward to that love" winked Edward. Had he just called me Love? I<br />

was swooning inside but I kept my face composed.<br />

"Whenever you got time honey."<br />

"Name the time and place sugar."<br />

"Okay, enough with the shameless flirting" Alice butted in while we both ducked<br />

our heads, "we have to get to class. See you at lunch Bella!"<br />

- 133 -


<strong>The</strong> rest of the Cullens walked away except for Edward.<br />

"Let me guess, you're going to be walking me to class."<br />

"And they say pretty girls are stupid."<br />

"I must be the exception." I replied and we made our way toward my English<br />

class.<br />

"You are always the exception" said Edward as we reached my door. He bent in<br />

quickly, pecked my cheek and then walked away to his class. Inside, I saw Jessica<br />

and Lauren with their mouths gaping. When I sat down, Lauren walked over to me.<br />

"You had better be careful Bella. You may have stolen Jessica's man but we'll be<br />

getting him back."<br />

"Nice to see that you treat people so nicely" I said sarcastically to her retreating<br />

back.<br />

<strong>The</strong> rest of my classes passed quickly, Edward walked me over to every single<br />

one. Jessica kept looking at me as if I had fed her dog to an alligator. When the bell<br />

for lunch rang, I ran outside and smacked into Edward.<br />

"Whoa, where's the fire?"<br />

"In someone's eyes" I muttered as I straightened myself and started walking.<br />

"What?"<br />

"Nothing, never mind. So, 109 years. You don't look a day over 105 Edward, what<br />

kind of moisturizer are you using?"<br />

"None, I just always look fahbulous." Edward said in a posh accent.<br />

"When were you born?"<br />

"I was born in 1901 in Chicago. I got turned when my parents and I had the<br />

Spanish influenza. I was the last to get it and then Carlisle turned me when he saw<br />

my father and mother die. <strong>The</strong>n Esme came next, along with Rosalie and then<br />

Emmett a bit after that. Alice and Jasper showed up by themselves and they've stuck<br />

with us ever since."<br />

- 134 -


"Whoa. Well, you all seem to get along great."<br />

"We do!" piped in Alice from beside me. Jasper gave me a wave and we all got in<br />

line for food. As we sat at the table, I had a question for them.<br />

"If you guys don't eat food, why are you buying it?"<br />

"Appearances Bella, we can't not eat food and look like we do. We'd be called<br />

anorexic. How can we explain 'Oh, food tastes like dirt to us because of the fact that<br />

we're blood sucking vampires. Why are you covering your neck and picking up the<br />

phone? No I do not know the number for the mental hospital!' Do you see how that<br />

would go bad?" asked Rosalie as the others nodded at her explanation.<br />

"I see your point, why would they cover their necks when you could have easily<br />

killed them before asking you those questions?"<br />

"You're missing the point Bella!" Shouted Rose as the rest of the table laughed.<br />

"Well, instead of wasting all that food, I can just pick a few items off of your plates<br />

and put them on mine so it looks like you ate halfway."<br />

"That's a good idea" nodded Alice and they piled food onto my plate.<br />

"From now on though, get less food and we'll split it up evenly. You guys could<br />

feed a whole third world country with the food you waste." I grumbled as I took a<br />

few bites of Edward's pizza. He wrinkled his nose as I chewed so I opened my<br />

mouth.<br />

"If I thought pizza looked unappealing before, it has nothing on what you just<br />

showed me."<br />

"Glad I could be of assistance" I said with my mouth full. As the bell rang, I walked<br />

to Biology with Edward. I noticed that he kept glancing at me with anticipation in<br />

his eyes.<br />

"What?" I asked annoyed.<br />

"Nothing"<br />

"That's a lie, what do you keep looking at me for?"<br />

"Well remember that last time?" Edward began nervously.<br />

- 135 -


"Refresh me please."<br />

"You know, the acrobatic thing in the hallway?"<br />

"And what? You were hoping that I'd be able to do that for you again." I finished<br />

for him as he nodded bashfully.<br />

"So, will you?"<br />

"No" I answered and his face saddened "not in front of all these students and<br />

definitely not in school. How about we do it at your house?"<br />

Edward's face brightened.<br />

"Really Bella? You're the best!" He said excitedly and hugged me. I melted into his<br />

embrace and I'm pretty sure I had a goofy smile on my face. Who wouldn't though,<br />

it's Edward freaking Cullen!<br />

"No problem" I sighed as he put me back down. We watched a movie in Biology<br />

and all I could focus on was the electricity between me and Edward. He made it<br />

worse when he started playing with my fingers. Was he trying to kill me? All I<br />

wanted to do in that moment was jump and kiss him. Oh great, I'm starting to sound<br />

like such a girly mush ball.<br />

When biology ended, Edward didn't let go of my hand and walked with me to gym.<br />

I noticed the stares directed at us but I could have cared less about the petty<br />

gossipers. All I was thinking was He's holding my hand! He's holding MY hand!<br />

Now, all that's left to do is for him to make me his girlfriend. Ask. ASK! ASK!<br />

"Bella?"<br />

"Hmm?"<br />

"I said, ask what?"<br />

"Oh," crud, had I said that out loud? "I wanted to ask about… uh… the, er, new<br />

microscopes that I heard we were going to get in Biology."<br />

Biology Bella? Really? How much of a nerd could I be right now? Why didn't I just<br />

ask him about all the other new school supplies we were never going to get? I wasn't<br />

even sure if there were new microscopes for biology!<br />

- 136 -


"What new microscopes? I wasn't aware that we were getting any new supplies."<br />

Point proven. Didn't I sound like an idiot? I panicked and said the first thing that<br />

came to mind.<br />

"Lollipop"<br />

"What?"<br />

"Cream cheese"<br />

"You are a random person Bella, but that's what I like about you." Edward<br />

grinned. Holy moly, that worked? I couldn't focus on that because Edward started to<br />

caress my jaw with his fingers.<br />

"I'll see you later Bella." He whispered near my ear, making me shiver. I watched<br />

him walk away and heard a voice next to me.<br />

"Dang, even I swooned." Rosalie fanned herself with her hand. Today, we had a<br />

lounging day for gym.<br />

"What am I, mincemeat?" Emmett pouted as he flopped down next to us.<br />

"Edward has a way with words but you Emmett have a way with…"<br />

"Awkward!" Jasper and I shouted at the same time. We looked at each other and<br />

grinned. We started discussing wars while Emmett and Rosalie had some alone time<br />

under the bleachers.<br />

"Bella, what are your intentions with Edward?" Jasper blurted out during a lull in<br />

our conversation. I turned tomato red at his question.<br />

"Well I'm not looking to have my wicked way with him if that's what you're<br />

asking!" I rushed out embarrassed. Jasper chuckled at my answer and shook his<br />

head at me.<br />

"I meant, what are your feelings toward him. I know you like him, but how much?<br />

Do you want to be something more than a friend to him?" He gave me an<br />

encouraging smile and scooted closer. He pulled out a piece of paper and tapped it<br />

while rummaging for a pen.<br />

"Write it and I'll try to make sure he doesn't find out" he motioned to his head. I<br />

- 137 -


studied his face and wrote my response down.<br />

I like him much more than I should Jasper, and that's a problem. Does he feel the<br />

same as I do? As strongly as I do? I've had strong feelings for him ever since we had<br />

that moment at Halloween, remember the pictures? He nodded and I continued<br />

writing. I know he's flirting with me but I want to know if his feelings are something<br />

real or just something to pass the time.<br />

Jasper read my answer and was quick to write back. I know you don't feel as if<br />

what Edward feels is the same but I have to tell you, I have seen the changes in him.<br />

He used to just get by in his life, feeling happy to be alone but now, you have<br />

changed him. He's happier, he laughs more, he jokes around and all that is because<br />

of you. I think you should do something about what you two are feeling because if<br />

we leave it up to Edward, it's going to take forever.<br />

I giggled at his last sentence.<br />

"All right, I'll get a move on. But I swear if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you<br />

quickly and quietly. Block this conversation from your mind." I warned him. He<br />

nodded and I gave him a hug.<br />

"What was that for?"<br />

"For kicking my butt into gear. I guess I needed to stop being a chicken and you<br />

certainly helped me out there."<br />

"Anything for my little sis."<br />

Gym ended and we made our way outside to our respective cars. I followed the<br />

Cullens to their house and we made our way into the living room.<br />

"Hello children. Ah, Bella! How are you sweetie? Would you like a snack?" Esme<br />

greeted as we sat on the couches.<br />

"Uh, sure. Thank you Esme."<br />

"No problem dear" she called as she walked to the kitchen. Edward was looking at<br />

Jasper weirdly.<br />

"Dude, what?"<br />

"I can't read you."<br />

- 138 -


"What? Like, at all?"<br />

"No, I can get everything except for this big chunk of time during gym."<br />

Jasper's eyes widened, glanced at me quickly and coughed. Oh crud, now I had to<br />

distract Edward.<br />

"Hey Edward! You know what now would be the perfect time for?" Edward looked<br />

confused but then his face brightened in anticipation.<br />

"Really? Oh, we should probably do this outside because Esme wouldn't want her<br />

furniture to be ruined."<br />

"Much appreciated!" hollered Esme from the kitchen.<br />

Edward and I popped up from the couch and ran outside while the others followed<br />

in confusion. Even Esme joined them on the stairs with my snack placed next to her.<br />

I took a quick survey of their backyard while I stretched. I turned to wink at Edward<br />

who gave me a breathtaking smile and then, I set off.<br />

I took a running head start toward a boulder, hoisted myself up and pushed myself<br />

upward with my hands to land feet first on a tree. I bounced on the branch a bit and<br />

then did a free fall toward the ground, adding a few flips and some twirls. When I<br />

landed, I ran toward them and at the last second, jumped over their heads. I heard<br />

some gasps and exclamations as I climbed up the side of their house and did a few<br />

flips on their roof.<br />

I ran full speed across the roof and jumped to a treetop. When I grabbed hold of<br />

the tip, I fell again but grabbed hold of a branch before I fell all the way. I swung<br />

myself around the branch and landed on my feet in front of them with my arms over<br />

my head.<br />

"And she sticks the landing!" I yelled as Edward imitated a crowd roaring. <strong>The</strong><br />

Cullens laughed and clapped while I bowed theatrically.<br />

"That was amazing Bella! I'm a vampire and even I can't do that!" Emmett crowed<br />

as he mimicked the moves. We all laughed when he twisted and fell on his back.<br />

"Get up you big oaf" grumbled Rosalie.<br />

"So now, the entertainment portion of this evening is finished. May I please<br />

receive my payment?"<br />

- 139 -


"Here you go. As you requested, the cookies and grapes are opposite of each<br />

other." Esme reported seriously.<br />

"Good, I just would not be able to stand if they got on the same side." I grinned.<br />

We spent some time goofing around and doing homework. Well, I took a lot of time<br />

doing homework while the others rushed through it in vampire speed.<br />

"I'm so glad I can remember math and physics easily. I mean, do you even need it<br />

in real life?" questioned Jasper.<br />

"You need it for my line of work." I answered without looking up from my English<br />

paper.<br />

"What for?"<br />

"Well, you need it for figuring out how to pull off an elaborate heist. <strong>The</strong>re's a lot<br />

of machinery and movement involved in pulling a con. What did you think, that we<br />

all just jumped through lasers and used a stethoscope?"<br />

"Uh, no?"<br />

"Well, I'm going to have to prove you wrong."<br />

"How are you planning to do that?" asked Rosalie. Before I answered, Alice<br />

squealed and nodded her head furiously.<br />

"Oh please, please, can we Bella? Oh, it will be so exciting and fun!"<br />

"Sure Alice, I'll set something up one day." I promised while the others looked on<br />

in confusion.<br />

"What exactly are you going to set up?" asked Rosalie annoyed. Even Edward<br />

looked confused at Alice.<br />

"She's going to help us pull a fake con!"<br />

"No way!" Emmett bellowed. He pumped his fist in the air and ran upstairs.<br />

"Where's he going?" I asked confused. Edward groaned and smacked his forehead.<br />

"He's off to plan outfits for us."<br />

- 140 -


"What? That's MY job! Emmett, you come down here right now or you're going to<br />

get it!" she threatened.<br />

"What's he going to get?"<br />

"Oh, Alice has a special revenge for Emmett whenever he does something that<br />

tests our patience. You know how Alice can tell the future?" I nodded.<br />

"Well, before Emmett goes hunting, Alice likes to hunt there before him and wait.<br />

When he shows up he has to settle for deer."<br />

"Nasty little buggers too" grumbled Emmett as he sulked down the stairs.<br />

"I don't even like bears very much" Alice stuck her tongue out.<br />

"What? <strong>The</strong>y're delicious!"<br />

"Well after eating bears every single time for a decade straight, you sort of get<br />

disgusted by even the smell of bears." She shuddered.<br />

I went home after Esme served me a delicious dinner of roasted chicken, mashed<br />

potatoes, and broccoli while the family looked at me in fascination. I made sure to<br />

open my mouth extra wide so that they would enjoy the show and they promptly left<br />

with disgusted looks on their faces. Edward stayed put after his family left and<br />

walked me to my car when it was time for me to go.<br />

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow" I hesitated as I fiddled with my keys.<br />

"Yes you will" he replied while looking down at his shoes. Come on Edward I<br />

thought to myself make a move! This is your chance and you're screwing it up by<br />

paying more attention to your shoes than to me! Well, they are nice shoes, are they<br />

Italian leather? I wonder where Alice got them, they're not even… Oh, never mind!<br />

I sighed quietly and turned the key to unlock the car. As soon as I was about to get<br />

in, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whirled to see Edward's face really close to mine.<br />

He put both hands on either side of my head and leaned in closely as I stood still.<br />

"Have sweet dreams tonight Isabella" he breathed and kissed the corner of my<br />

mouth. NO! I thought You were so close! All you had to do was turn your head Bella!<br />

Or even better, he could have made the effort to actually KISS you instead of<br />

teasing!<br />

- 141 -


I stood dazed in the driver side as Edward leaned back with an impish smile. That<br />

smug bastard! I smirked and stood on my tiptoes to his ear.<br />

"You have a nice night Edward" I whispered and then leaned down to give him a<br />

kiss on his neck. I felt him shiver and I got confused for a second. Can vampires get<br />

cold? I shrugged, hurried to get in my car before he could retaliate, and sped out of<br />

the driveway quickly.<br />

I couldn't believe how bold I had been with Edward! It gave me such a rush that I<br />

spent a few hours watching a marathon of <strong>The</strong> Twilight Zone before I went to sleep<br />

on the couch.<br />

I loved the idea that someone had about Bella toying with the Cullens<br />

when she found out so I just added in a few scenarios where she messed with<br />

them.<br />

I know that she found out their secret super quick so don't be mad at me.<br />

Anyway, I'll be writing more later!<br />

- 142 -


First Dates<br />

Hiya! How are you guys? Well, I should be doing my homework but I was<br />

all "When was the last time I updated?"<br />

Anyway, I want to thank all of you guys who reviewed. You totally rock!<br />

Me: Stephenie Meyer gave Twilight to me!<br />

Carlisle: No she didn't silly child.<br />

Me: Aw Carlisle! Come on, can I at least have one thing?<br />

Carlisle: You have Tuna, Fish, Moz and Trina.<br />

Me: Yeah but what about the cool characters?<br />

Carlisle: Well, I guess you can have Bella's new attitude.<br />

Me: What in the Heck can I do with an attitude?<br />

Carlisle: You can lose it.<br />

Me: Ooh, bossy.<br />

I woke up early next morning with a sore neck. Where the heck was I? Tuna<br />

nudged my hand with her nose and I reached over to take the paper she had in her<br />

jaws.<br />

"Gross Tuna" I complained "You know that getting the paper is what Fish likes to<br />

do."<br />

I rubbed her head and went to go eat my cereal while pouring food for my girls. I<br />

read about a recent heist that was pulled and frowned at the article. I was itching to<br />

take something but I had to stay clean. I crumpled up the newspaper and ran around<br />

the kitchen with Tuna and Fish bounding after me.<br />

"She takes it down to the net with Tuna and Fish at her heels! She dribbles left,<br />

she fakes right, she shoots, and she scores! <strong>The</strong> crowd goes wild!" I whooped while<br />

- 143 -


making fake crowd noises. I was doing a little dance when I heard snickering from<br />

the direction of the stairs. I tensed, grabbed seven knives and threw them as I<br />

whirled in the direction of the giggles.<br />

"What the heck Bella?" Screamed Rosalie as she pulled out four of the knives from<br />

her jacket sleeves.<br />

"Sorry, sorry!" I yelped as I ran over to help them. I yanked the knives out and<br />

went to help Alice which had somehow been stuck sideways.<br />

"No worries Bella, we probably would have done something similar if we had<br />

people catch us off guard while we're doing funny dances with wild animals in our<br />

kitchen." Alice said as I helped her down.<br />

"Speaking of wild animals, what in the hell are you doing with them?" asked<br />

Rosalie angrily.<br />

"Didn't Edward tell you?"<br />

"We have been friends with you for a longer time than Edward and you tell him<br />

first?" Rosalie exploded.<br />

"You all found out the truth about me at the same time!" I explained.<br />

"Yeah Rosalie. Besides, Edward and Bella have a different bond." Alice said with a<br />

wink.<br />

"Bond schmond. I'm still offended." Tuna walked up to Rosalie and nudged her<br />

leg. Rosalie glared down at Tuna but when she saw Tuna rubbing her head on her<br />

leg, she bent down to pet her. Tuna started purring at the attention and licked<br />

Rosalie's hand.<br />

"Uh, would it make you feel better to know that Tuna likes you better than she did<br />

Edward?"<br />

"A little" Rosalie scowled at me but continued to pet Tuna with care.<br />

"What are their names?"<br />

"Tuna's the lion and Fish is the <strong>Fox</strong>" I pointed out as Alice sat cross legged on the<br />

counter.<br />

- 144 -


"Why did you give them those names" she wrinkled her nose in confusion.<br />

"Moz had given me a tuna fish sandwich for lunch on a heist one time and I threw<br />

it down. When I said 'Ick, tuna fish', they both looked up. I tried it out again and<br />

eventually kept calling them that."<br />

"Who's Moz?"<br />

"Oh, you remember the guy that came here that one day and Rosalie figured out<br />

what he was doing? Well, that's him."<br />

"Oh. So who is he really?" Rosalie asked while rubbing Tuna's belly.<br />

"He and his wife are one of my best friends."<br />

"He's married?" Alice asked confused.<br />

"Yep, I set them up."<br />

"So Edward's been worrying for nothing?" Alice sounded relieved. Her comment<br />

confused me.<br />

"What has Edward been worrying about?"<br />

"He thought he'd have to wait for you to break up with the guy but we thought you<br />

guys had history. When we spied on you, you guys still looked like a couple even<br />

though we knew you weren't" Rosalie explained.<br />

"Oh no, he's just a good… You SPIED on me?"<br />

"Oh you did the same Bella, simmer down." Alice rolled her eyes.<br />

"I guess" I grumbled.<br />

"All right, head up and get dressed so we can make our way to school in your<br />

amazing car" Rosalie shooed me upstairs. I walked up reluctantly, showered and got<br />

dressed. We got into my car and drove to school with plenty of time before classes<br />

started. We met up with the boys and went off in different directions because Alice<br />

and Rosalie wanted alone time.<br />

"So how's tricks?" I asked Edward while rocking back and forth on my heels.<br />

- 145 -


"<strong>The</strong>y're good?"<br />

"So listen Edward" I started as he said "Look Bella," We both laughed and I<br />

gestured that he go first.<br />

"All right then, Look Bella, I wanted to know if you would like to go to dinner."<br />

"Sure, when am I meeting you guys?"<br />

"Ah, well here's the thing. It's only going to be me. And you. Alone. Together." He<br />

said nervously while running his hands through his hair. My heart stopped and then<br />

started again double time.<br />

"Yes! Uh, I mean, yeah sure." I tried to answer coolly.<br />

"Good! I'll pick you up tonight?"<br />

"7?"<br />

"Yes, um, dress nice?"<br />

"All right, I'll find a dress." I answered back while holding myself from jumping to<br />

him. He looked relieved and kissed my cheek as he dropped me off at English.<br />

"I'll see you at lunch" he said with a smile while I nodded. He walked away and I<br />

stayed at the wall looking after him. Goodness, how much of a dork do I look like<br />

right now?<br />

"A pretty big one" sneered Jessica. Had I spoken aloud again? Jeez, I really need to<br />

stop doing that.<br />

"You're not harshing my mellow" I frowned at Jessica and skipped to my seat. <strong>The</strong><br />

classes passed slowly and when lunchtime came around, I jumped out of my seat to<br />

find Edward waiting for me at the door.<br />

"My lady" he bowed while extending his arm. I snickered and hooked my arm with<br />

his.<br />

"My lord, shall we skip?"<br />

"I believe we shall my dear." He answered back with a snooty voice and we<br />

skipped all the way to lunch. He paid for his lunch while I just grabbed an empty<br />

- 146 -


tray. When we sat down, I grabbed pieces of everyone's lunch and put it on my tray.<br />

"My, how big your appetite is." Lauren exclaimed meanly from behind me.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> better to eat you with my dear" I answered back sweetly. She frowned and<br />

walked away.<br />

"No more jokes Lauren? I can go all day!" I yelled out after her. <strong>The</strong> Cullens shook<br />

their head and chuckled at Lauren.<br />

"She doesn't quit so easily." Emmett said.<br />

"I know! What does she do, spend the whole day thinking of jokes? <strong>The</strong>y're not<br />

even good!" I asked him.<br />

"Actually, she does. She just isn't very good at comebacks." Alice snickered as she<br />

put an orange on my tray.<br />

"That sucks. I'm pretty good with hecklers." I pouted while peeling my orange.<br />

"We'll heckle you anytime" Jasper piped in.<br />

"Aw, you guys are the best friends anyone could ask for!" I gushed.<br />

Soon, the whole day was going by quickly and I found myself at my house with<br />

Rosalie, Alice, Tuna and Fish sitting on my bed and shaking their heads at outfits. At<br />

first, Alice didn't believe that they could help but after a test of outfit picking, they<br />

passed.<br />

"How about this one?" I modeled a funky dress with a tutu skirt.<br />

"You look like a ballerina on crack." Alice said upside down. Tuna jumped down<br />

and went into my closet. Fish hopped down and followed her. When I heard their<br />

little growling sounds, I went and sunk down in my comfy chair until they came out.<br />

"What are they doing?" questioned Rosalie with her head tilted toward the closet.<br />

"Fighting" I sighed as I picked up my new issue of<br />

SPIN<br />

magazine.<br />

- 147 -


"In your closet? <strong>The</strong>y'll ruin your beautiful clothes!" Alice shrieked and moved to<br />

stand up.<br />

"Relax Alice, they're only choosing an outfit. It happens whenever they get tired of<br />

my choices."<br />

"Well, I'm not going to let animals make this decision by themselves" she<br />

answered back and marched into the closet. Pretty soon, we heard a huff and a<br />

thump. Later on, we heard more growls and Alice chiming in 'No' every once in a<br />

while. Rosalie and I had been playing Guitar Hero when we heard a 'Yes!' followed<br />

by a few growls. We ignored it and kept pressing the notes when we heard Alice<br />

clear her throat.<br />

"Guys, turn around" she said impatiently.<br />

"Hold on, I'm close to kicking Bella's butt" Rosalie said while focusing on her song.<br />

"You wish Blondie" I fired back as I got a guitar solo. <strong>The</strong> songs ended and then<br />

we got the results.<br />

"TIE?" we screamed at the same time. We turned the screen off and turned to face<br />

Alice.<br />

"Are you done now?" she asked grumpily.<br />

"I dunno. Rose, rematch?"<br />

"Best 2 out of 3" she answered back as we went back to the Wii.<br />

"Guys!" Alice screamed and we turned around with grin.<br />

"Relax Alice. What do you want to show us?"<br />

"This" she announced dramatically and stepped aside to show me. I gasped as I<br />

saw the brown polka dot strapless dress.<br />

"Well what do you think?" Alice said while bouncing on her toes.<br />

"I forgot all about that dress" I gasped. I tried to remember where I had gotten it<br />

from but I couldn't place the time.<br />

"It's cute, where did you get it from?" Rosalie asked as she inspected it.<br />

- 148 -


"It's only a vintage dress, super expensive unless you know where to buy it. It's so<br />

tightly guarded that a bug could sneeze and it would be turned to ash by the lasers."<br />

Alice said exasperatedly. I widened my eyes as I remembered where I got it from<br />

and tried to avoid Alice's eyes.<br />

"Whoa. How much did it cost Bella?" Rosalie asked again while gently fingering<br />

the hem of the dress.<br />

"Oh, Alice can tell you. She seems to know more about it than I do." I answered<br />

with nonchalance. I hoped they fell for my ruse.<br />

"Wait a second" Alice said. Damn, I guess it didn't work. "We need shoes!"<br />

I blew out a big breath and smiled as she ran to the closet. When she came back,<br />

she froze and dropped my shoes.<br />

"Alice! Those were very expensive! I paid good money for those."<br />

"You didn't pay for the dress did you Bella?"<br />

"What? Of course I did! How dare you ask me that? I've never been so offended in<br />

my life."<br />

"Tell the truth Bella."<br />

"Ok, ok. So, I may have had an alternative way of acquiring this dress."<br />

"You stole it!"<br />

"I didn't say that!"<br />

"This is a priceless dress and you stole it as if it was some cheap painting done by<br />

Leonardo DaStinky!"<br />

"Dastinky?"<br />

"She doesn't like his art, thinks the Mona Lisa is totally overhyped and dull"<br />

Rosalie piped in from the bed.<br />

"It doesn't matter! I can't believe you would do that Bella! Now, someone who may<br />

have wanted it badly wouldn't have had the opportunity to wear it."<br />

- 149 -


"Oh yes, I'm sure that Baron Truel is very sad that he won't be able to wear his<br />

pretty dress."<br />

"Maybe it was for his wife."<br />

"Divorced him"<br />

"Daughters?"<br />

"Never had any"<br />

"Nieces, Mother, Grandmother, cousins, Aunts?"<br />

"Only child, dead, dead, they hate him, and they were the ones who encouraged<br />

their children to hate him." I numbered off.<br />

"What if he likes to dress in ladies clothes?"<br />

"Only if he likes to tear them."<br />

"It still doesn't make it right."<br />

"Well you could look at it this way; he could have bought the dress, presented it to<br />

his wife only to ruin it to spite her because he has a history of doing that, and then<br />

nobody would have the dress. Or, I stole the dress because I noticed he outbid<br />

everyone and I would not only get to use it but let my pixie vampire friend use it as<br />

well."<br />

"You would let me use it?" She asked in an awed voice.<br />

"Sure. I don't dress fancy everyday and instead of it gathering dust, you could take<br />

it for a walk." I smiled at her. She burst into a grin and rushed over to squeeze me.<br />

"Need air to function" I choked out while she thanked me repeatedly.<br />

"Ok, now that this friendship love fest is over, how about we get you ready for that<br />

date?" Rosalie piped in from the counter.<br />

"Let Operation Beautify Bella begin!"<br />

After a while, I emerged from the bathroom with loose tendrils framing my face<br />

and my hair pulled back into a half updo. I was dressed in my brown dress and some<br />

- 150 -


light pink shoes that matched the dress's buttons. I placed on my light pink jewelry<br />

and went to go get my coat when I realized I didn't have it.<br />

"Uh, I can't find my coat guys."<br />

"Where did you last leave it?" Alice asked getting up.<br />

"I don't remember. I usually toss a coat down and find it right away."<br />

"Well, let's hurry and look for it, Edward will be here in ten minutes." Rosalie said.<br />

We split up into groups. Alice would take the closets, Rosalie would search my room,<br />

and I would look in the laundry room. Soon, it was almost time for him to come<br />

when we heard a car pull up.<br />

We were frantically searching for my coat when we heard the doorbell.<br />

"Why is he so prompt?" Alice wailed from the closet.<br />

"Who the heck goes to someone's house on time? It's the 21st century for heaven's<br />

sake! Be fashionably late!" Rosalie bellowed from the floor. I rushed over to open<br />

the door and turned into a gooey chocolate chip cookie. Edward looked so handsome<br />

in his dark green shirt and black pants. He had on a black jacket and a smile on his<br />

face.<br />

"Why is everyone in such a hurry?"<br />

"We're looking for my coat."<br />

"Oh, would you like some help?"<br />

"Do you know where it is?"<br />

"Yep, right behind you" he pointed to my coat hook. I whirled to find it under three<br />

other coats. Why hadn't I thought of that?<br />

"Found it!" I hollered but realized I didn't need to because they were already<br />

standing there with frowns and crossed arms. I smiled sheepishly at them as they<br />

stalked out the door ahead of us.<br />

"I love you guys! I totally owe you!" I hollered after them and got two waves in<br />

response. We walked up to Edward's car and he opened the door for me.<br />

- 151 -


"So gentlemanly" I complimented.<br />

"Only the best for milady" he answered with a bow.<br />

"Don't think I'll be skipping in this dress bub." I warned him playfully.<br />

"Drat."<br />

We got to the restaurant in Port Angeles. It was called La Bella Italia.<br />

"That's a nice one. Did you take me here because you hope they'll give me a<br />

discount on account of me having the same name?"<br />

"Doesn't hurt to try" he quipped as he opened my door and helped me out. I<br />

slapped his arm and we went inside. When we got there, a young 20 something<br />

woman looked up and ravaged Edward with her eyes. Was she checking out my<br />

man? I could practically see her mind thinking I'd like me some of that!<br />

"Table for two please?" He asked politely. You think he would have offered some<br />

romping time in the back room from her facial expression. I tried to keep in my<br />

irritation and watched her every move. She was practically drooling and kept<br />

turning as if he'd disappear. Well, this was my dream honey, and there is NO room<br />

for you in it!<br />

"Something a bit more private please" he slipped her some money and she looked<br />

surprised. She nodded and took us to a booth in the back.<br />

"This better?" she said with a smile.<br />

"Perfect" he smiled at her. She looked as if she was going to faint and walked<br />

away with a wobble.<br />

"That was smooth. You could pass for a con man if you wanted to. You shouldn't<br />

do that you know" I told him as we sat across from each other.<br />

"Thank you and do what?"<br />

"Dazzle people. It's unfair."<br />

"I dazzle people?" he asked confused.<br />

"Oh come on, you have to know how you affect people. You did know, right?" I<br />

- 152 -


asked him. I studied him and realized that he truly didn't know.<br />

"No, not really. This is the first I have heard of it." He shrugged. Before I could<br />

answer, our waitress showed up and from the way she was eyeballing Edward, I<br />

could tell that the other girl dished behind the scenes about the hot guy with the<br />

average girl. She gave Edward a huge smile and stood up straighter.<br />

"Can I start you off with a drink sir?" she asked. She looked like she was going to<br />

be a problem for my first date.<br />

"Bella?" Edward gestured to me. <strong>The</strong> waitress glanced down at me and plastered a<br />

fake smile on her face.<br />

"I will have a coke." I said quickly so I didn't swear at her. She jotted it down and<br />

swiveled to Edward.<br />

"And for you sir?"<br />

"I'll have a coke as well."<br />

"Coming right up" she winked and wiggled away. She turned to see if Edward was<br />

looking but looked upset and went through the doors. When I turned to see why she<br />

was upset, I saw Edward looking at me with a smile on his face.<br />

"You're cute when you're jealous" he smiled.<br />

"Who? Jealous, me? Pshh, No." I tried to cover up my face with my menu. I heard<br />

him chuckling and I pulled the menu higher to shield my tomato face. When I heard<br />

the cups being placed on the table, I peeked over the menu to see Edward staring<br />

intently at me.<br />

"Are we ready to order?" chirped the Wiggler.<br />

"Nothing for me. Bella?" He gestured to me again. <strong>The</strong> waitress looked as if she<br />

was trying to keep her irritation from appearing just like I was. I scowled and met<br />

her stare.<br />

"I will have the mushroom ravioli" I spoke tightly. She wrote it down and looked at<br />

Edward warmly.<br />

"And for you handsome, you sure I can't get you anything?" she asked with a wink.<br />

I trembled with anger and my fingers were itching to throw one of the concealed<br />

- 153 -


knives strapped to my legs. I heard the double meaning in her sentence and she was<br />

pushing my buttons.<br />

"No thank you, again." Edward stressed the word 'again' to see if she got the<br />

meaning. She looked upset and wiggled back to the kitchen.<br />

"Bella, breathe please." Edward soothed.<br />

"Why are we even here? You don't eat people food." I fumed to myself.<br />

"I wanted to make it special for you. I thought you'd like a normal boy-girl date<br />

thing. I didn't think it would be so… competitive."<br />

"'Can I get you anything sir?'" I mocked, "I know what I want, her head on a<br />

platter!" I muttered angrily. I shook my head and crossed my arms to stew with my<br />

thoughts. I glanced up when I felt the space next to me dip.<br />

"Bella, she doesn't hold an ounce of the feelings I have for you." He whispered<br />

while pushing some hair out of my face.<br />

"Really?" I asked. I felt so helpless and I was starting to feel uncomfortable so I<br />

started squirming in my seat.<br />

"Uh Bella, do you need to go to the bathroom or something?" Edward asked<br />

nervously as he shifted in the seat.<br />

"No! Sorry, I just get queasy when I feel vulnerable and nervous so I squirm."I<br />

explained while holding him down. A wicked smile crossed his face.<br />

"I make you nervous?" he teased. Drat. I really need to stop saying stuff like that.<br />

"No. Did I say that? I just meant that… Oh look, the wiggler returns." I stated<br />

drily.<br />

"Let's give her a show" he said mischievously.<br />

"What do you mean?" I asked. He winked and then grabbed my head and pulled<br />

me close. Holy Moly, this was like Halloween all over again! My heart started racing<br />

as he placed his lips on mine and just as I was about to tangle my hands into his<br />

glorious locks, I heard the Wiggler clear her throat. We both sat back breathing<br />

heavily and looked up at her.<br />

- 154 -


"Your food" she said a bit rudely and almost slammed the plate on the table.<br />

Edward smiled at her as he pulled me in and started playing with my hair.<br />

"Thank you very much. My fiancée was getting hungry" he smiled widely. <strong>The</strong><br />

waitress's jaw fell when Edward said fiancée and frankly, so did mine. I felt a<br />

strange tingle work its way throughout my body as I mulled over the word. Was it<br />

sad that I wanted to hold the title of being Edward's fiancée? Probably but I couldn't<br />

bring myself to care and instead started to daydream of our fake wedding.<br />

"I guess congratulations are in order" said the Wiggler automatically. She shook<br />

her head and took my empty glass to get me a refill.<br />

"Fiancée?" I questioned Edward as soon as the Wiggler walked away. His eyes had<br />

a faraway look to them and he shook his head when I started snapping my fingers in<br />

front of his face.<br />

"I'm sorry, what?"<br />

"Why did you call me your fiancée? What were you thinking about?"<br />

"Oh, she was planning on doing something crazy and I had to think of something.<br />

We're too young to be married so I went for the next best thing." He answered<br />

completely ignoring my second question.<br />

"Oh."<br />

"Bella, I wanted to talk to you about something." He started nervously.<br />

"Shoot."<br />

"You eat and I'll talk" he bargained as he went to the other side of the booth. I<br />

pouted at him leaving and popped ravioli in my mouth. I waved my fork to prompt<br />

him and he took a deep breath.<br />

"Bella, I know you probably love him but would you consider me as a boyfriend? I<br />

keep getting mixed signals from you and I wanted to let you know that I have strong<br />

feelings for you, feelings I have never had for anyone but the problem is that you're<br />

with him. <strong>The</strong> kiss during Halloween was amazing and I only avoided you because I<br />

didn't want to come between you and the guy but I cannot deny my feelings for you<br />

any longer. I don't even know his name and I'm utterly jealous that he is your<br />

boyfriend. <strong>The</strong>se past few weeks have been amazing when I got to know you and I<br />

see what my family has been going on about, who couldn't love you? So I guess that<br />

- 155 -


ings me to my final thing and that is would you consider leaving him?"<br />

I stared at Edward during his whole rambling. I forgot that he didn't know about<br />

Moz and the thought made me giggle a bit. Edward's face fell and he slumped down<br />

a bit.<br />

"It's all right if you don't feel the same way, I understand" he said sadly. I realized<br />

that he took my giggling another way.<br />

"No Edward, I'm laughing because Moz isn't my boyfriend, he's just a friend."<br />

"Sometimes friends can become something more" he said sadly.<br />

"Well not this friend, his wife wouldn't like it very much." I said. He looked back<br />

up confused.<br />

"He's married?"<br />

"We're like brother and sister. He's the closest thing I have to family and we<br />

always act like that but it looks different to other people."<br />

"He's married?" he asked again.<br />

"Wow, maybe you are applying for that captain obvious job."<br />

"You could have told me you know" he huffed.<br />

"You weren't talking to me at that time."<br />

"Oh right. So, if you don't have a boyfriend, do you think that I could fill up that<br />

position?" he asked nervously.<br />

"You have some cojones Edward. I like it." I laughed.<br />

"So did I get it?"<br />

"You're not filling out an application Edward. I'm a girl, not a job. And no, the<br />

position has been filled."<br />

"It has? By whom?" he asked bewildered.<br />

"By you, silly." I laughed. His answering smile was so joyous that I couldn't stop<br />

- 156 -


smiling either.<br />

"She said yes!" he told the booth behind us. <strong>The</strong> couple was startled at my<br />

exuberant boyfriend and they hesitantly congratulated him. When he turned to an<br />

elderly couple, the man answered back in a different way than others had.<br />

"She agreed to be your girlfriend sonny, not to be your wife." <strong>The</strong> old man sniffed.<br />

I laughed at Edward's annoyance of the old man's lack of enthusiasm. His wife<br />

slapped him with her purse and apologized for his behavior. Edward turned back<br />

with the smile still on his face and waved for the bill. <strong>The</strong> Wiggler came back with a<br />

new vengeance; maybe she had found a new soul to torture.<br />

"Here you go sir, have a pleasant night." She purred. Had the fiancée thing not<br />

worked? Did she need more proof?<br />

Edward snatched the bill before I could and flipped open the check to read the<br />

total. His eyes widened minutely but then he shoved money into the check and<br />

shoved it back toward the Wiggler.<br />

"Let's have some fun before the wedding next week" Edward replied in a husky<br />

voice as the Wiggler looked after him with a frustrated expression. I followed after<br />

him confused and waited until we were in the car to ask what was wrong. He drove<br />

in silence for a while until I cleared my throat.<br />

"Feel better now?"<br />

"Not really" he admitted. I placed my hand over his on the steering wheel and<br />

rested my head on his shoulder. I moved my hand in circles on his back, hoping it<br />

would have an effect.<br />

"How about now?" I looked up. He seemed to be relaxing more and I kept soothing<br />

him.<br />

"Much better" he sighed and he resolved to hold my hand over the console. He<br />

flipped to an oldies station and started singing along to the songs.<br />

"So, why'd you get all uppity back at the restaurant?"<br />

"I did not get uppity!"<br />

"Yeah, you did. Can you tell me why? I bet it has something to do with the<br />

Wiggler, am I right?"<br />

- 157 -


"I don't get why you call her the Wiggler."<br />

"Because she swayed her, uh, assets every time she came over to take our order."<br />

"I only paid attention to a particular person's assets." He winked over at me. I<br />

spluttered out a few unintelligible noises and turned my head to hide my reddening<br />

face. I was flattered but so embarrassed.<br />

"Stop distracting me bud, you haven't answered my question."<br />

"All right. <strong>The</strong> Wiggler placed a note inside the bill that was completely<br />

inappropriate."<br />

"Well, what was it?" I asked impatiently.<br />

"She wrote that if I ever needed time away from the 'old ball and unattractive<br />

chain' that I should call the number attached." He admitted quickly. I was livid. I<br />

don't know who the heck that chick was but she was about to get the most ruthless<br />

con girl after her. My head immediately flooded with ways to maim her and I felt my<br />

face contort into an evil grin.<br />

"Uh, Bella?" Edward asked a bit frightened. I turned my head slowly to face him<br />

and plastered an innocent expression on my face.<br />

"Yes Edward?"<br />

"You bear an uncanny resemblance to this next song." He pointed out. I didn't<br />

understand him.<br />

"Which one would that be?" I gave him a pointed look as he chuckled at my<br />

expression. All of a sudden, the song Devil in Disguise by Elvis Presley came on and<br />

he smirked before starting.<br />

"You look like an angel (look like an angel)" he crooned.<br />

"Very funny Edward."<br />

"Walk like an angel (walk like an angel)" he sang louder as he ran his eyes<br />

appreciatively down my legs.<br />

"Quit it."<br />

- 158 -


"Talk like an angel but I got wise" he warbled as he traced my lips with his finger<br />

tips. I almost melted in my seat but I was too annoyed and prepared myself for the<br />

line I knew so well.<br />

"You're dead when we get out of the car Edward Cullen" I warned.<br />

"You're the devil in disguise! Oh yes you are. Devil in disguise." He sang like an<br />

Elvis. He wiggled in his seat and bopped his head to the words while singing along<br />

to the rest of the song. I wanted to be really angry at him but the way he was<br />

squirming had me in hysterics.<br />

By the time that the song ended, we had reached my house and I was gasping to<br />

get control of my breathing. He was also laughing hard but he collected himself long<br />

enough to get out of the car and open my door. He had a giant smile on his face and<br />

he looked so carefree at the moment that I marveled in his beauty.<br />

"What? Is there something on my face?"<br />

"No, I just forgot to do something at the restaurant."<br />

"What was that?" he asked as he burrowed his brows in concentration.<br />

"This" I whispered and stood on my toes to kiss him. I know most people describe<br />

fireworks when they kiss someone but mine was so much better. It was as if I had<br />

floated up to a cloud and started freefalling into a never ending tunnel but I knew I<br />

wasn't going to fall. I felt the tingles, the rush, the freeness of it all, even seeing<br />

colors I never dreamed that existed and I just felt so incredibly happy.<br />

When we both pulled away, we leaned our foreheads together.<br />

"Best kiss ever." He gasped.<br />

"Ditto."<br />

"Seriously? <strong>The</strong> best kiss of my life, no, existence, and all I get is 'Ditto'?" He<br />

chuckled as he tried to even his breathing.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re are no words to explain how mind-blowingly amazing it was. I could say it<br />

was like fireworks but they don't have colors to describe what they looked like. Is<br />

that a better description?"<br />

"Way better than mine" he muttered and held my hand up to kiss my knuckles.<br />

- 159 -


"See you tomorrow Bella, I had a great time." he murmured as he kissed my<br />

cheek.<br />

"I had a great time too, best first date I have had in my life." I responded while<br />

giving him a fierce hug. He hugged me back briefly and waited for me to go inside.<br />

When I closed the door, I put my hand on it and twirled in circles. I went to sleep<br />

dreaming of Edward and our fake wedding.<br />

EPOV<br />

As soon as Bella closed the door, I placed my hand on the wooden surface and<br />

smiled at it. I'm sure I looked like a fool but I could not stop the feeling of happiness<br />

coursing through my chest. I was in love and gloriously so.<br />

When I had declared Bella as my fake fiancée, I was over the moon and felt pride<br />

in staking her as mine. I worried at what she would think when I faced her but she<br />

had a gentle smile on her face and I hoped she was dreaming of our fake wedding<br />

like I was.<br />

<strong>The</strong> highlight of my evening had to be when she agreed to be my girlfriend though<br />

she had a lot of fun teasing me about it. <strong>The</strong> insipid waitress was constantly a<br />

problem with her over the top flirting. Had she not seen the exquisite creature that<br />

graced my presence? After reading her thoughts, I soon found that she wanted to<br />

come between me and my beloved Bella so I took steps to steer her away.<br />

I never felt as carefree as I had in the car, singing along to Elvis Presley's Devil in<br />

Disguise. Bella had the most ruthless, cold, calculating expression on her face after I<br />

told her what the waitress did that it frightened me and I set to work on distracting<br />

her. It had partly worked but as soon as I started my dance, which I thought was<br />

better than she gave me credit for, her mood considerably brightened.<br />

When I heard her laugh, I vowed to make it my life's mission to keep a smile on<br />

her face. I walked into my house slowly, reminiscing over our date only to stop when<br />

Emmett started chortling.<br />

"Looks like little Eddie got some action" he waggled his eyebrows. I gave him a<br />

disgusted glare and turned to see Jasper standing at the foot of the stairs.<br />

"Edward, can I speak with you?"<br />

"Sure Jasper, where would you like to go?"<br />

- 160 -


"We can speak here, Rosalie and Alice are out hunting and Carlisle and Esme went<br />

to a benefit for the hospital."<br />

"What about Emmett? Couldn't we send him somewhere?" I scowled at Emmett as<br />

he taunted me.<br />

"No, he might want to be a part of this." Jasper replied as Emmett gave me a smug<br />

smile. I frowned and plopped down on the couch as Jasper sat in the chair and<br />

Emmett sat on the floor.<br />

"So, I know that you are thinking of pursuing a relationship with Bella. I just<br />

wanted to know if you think you can handle it."<br />

"I understand your concern, I'm glad Bella has such good friends. Well, while I<br />

still have that bloodlust for Bella because she's my singer, I find myself wanting to<br />

learn more about her instead of draining her. I think that my feelings for her are<br />

growing daily and I can't bring myself to think about what would happen to her if<br />

she got hurt."<br />

"Well that's good news, now we don't have to kill you." Emmett replied after I<br />

finished.<br />

"You were going to kill me?"<br />

"Maybe maim you or tear you apart and bury the pieces in different parts of the<br />

world but probably not kill. Esme would take away our X-box!"<br />

"Well I wouldn't want my death keep you from playing Halo 3." I muttered<br />

sarcastically which Jasper and Emmett chuckled at.<br />

"Yeah but seriously, don't do anything stupid Edward. Any wrong moves with<br />

Bella, and I'll hurt you." Jasper warned.<br />

"Jasper, I'm your brother! How could you threaten me? Bella's the one who's<br />

supposed to get this whole 'You hurt him, I'll hurt you' speech."<br />

"Well you're getting it because you're the indestructible vampire. Bella's like<br />

family to us and she seems to not have any but if it makes you happy, I can give her<br />

a speech tomorrow."<br />

"Please don't trouble yourself on my account." I deadpanned at Jasper.<br />

- 161 -


"I might as well do something to make you happy, we only have forever with each<br />

other" he grinned as he walked up the stairs.<br />

I rolled my eyes at him. I couldn't believe I had these two knuckleheads as my<br />

brothers. Forever.<br />

Ooh! Edward POV! I like doing his point of view but I'm thinking of doing<br />

someone else's…<br />

I love the song Edward was singing to Bella. I like happy Edward!<br />

Remember, outfit is on my profile! Check it out and stuff.<br />

Well, I'll start on my homework again. See you guys later!<br />

- 162 -


Don't Go Breaking His Heart<br />

Hey peoples! How you been? So, I have a challenge for you guys! I'm<br />

working on their future heist and I need some ideas.<br />

I have the gist of how it will start but I don't have anything concrete. If I<br />

like your idea, I'll write it in and maybe give you a cameo!<br />

So, yeah. Anyway, here's the next chapter, outfit on my profile, and I will<br />

see you guys later.<br />

Bella: Finally planning my heist huh?<br />

Me: Shut up Bella.<br />

Bella: Hey! Rude much? Did you forget that I'm a different Bella?<br />

Me: I can always write that you broke your leg.<br />

Bella: Edward can always avenge me.<br />

Me: NOOOOO! Oh, Twilight doesn't belong to me!<br />

BPOV<br />

I woke up with a start the next morning. I heard movement downstairs and looked<br />

to see if it was one of the girls. Judging by the way they were sleeping comfortably<br />

next to each other, it was safe to assume that someone had broken into my house.<br />

I got a bit angry and snuck into my closet as quietly as I could. I shoved my<br />

clothes aside to slide open my secret weapons closet and grabbed some knives, a<br />

taser and some rope. I tiptoed down the stairs and saw that someone was in my<br />

kitchen. I balanced myself at the top of my doorway and looked inside the kitchen<br />

upside down.<br />

I gathered that the intruder was in my fridge. How rude, this idiot breaks into my<br />

home and steals my cinnamon buns! I was saving those. Anyway, I waited until the<br />

person closed the fridge and threw the knives into the kitchen. I dropped down to<br />

my feet when I heard splattering and hoped that I didn't kill the moron. When I<br />

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looked up, I got the surprise of a lifetime.<br />

"Edward? What the heck are you doing in my kitchen? How did you even get in?"<br />

"Hey Bella, I was going to surprise you with breakfast but uh, you got me a bit<br />

stuck here." He said as he tried to motion to himself. I rushed over and took out the<br />

knives that were holding him up. He crashed to the floor but sprang up and dusted<br />

himself off.<br />

"Sorry, you probably have to go home to get a new set of clothes."<br />

"Nope, Alice knew I'd need a new set of clothes so all I need is your bathroom." He<br />

smiled as he held up the bag on the floor.<br />

"Yeah sure, go on ahead; I'll clean up the eggs that fell." I directed him to the<br />

bathroom. He rushed away and I got to work on picking up the gooey mess. In less<br />

than a few seconds, Edward was back and helping me clean up.<br />

"Whoa, you're quick."<br />

"Well thank you Bella. How about you go and get ready as I make you and the<br />

girls some breakfast."<br />

"Sounds great! I'll be back as soon as I can." I nodded and headed toward the<br />

stairs.<br />

"Uh, Bella? Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked with a smile. I looked<br />

down and did a systems check to see if anything fell or got left behind.<br />

"I don't think so" I told him confused.<br />

"Let me give you a hint" he smiled and sped over to me. He pulled me forward and<br />

gave me a searing kiss. He pulled away after a moment with a satisfied smirk.<br />

"Oh, that" I croaked as he held me upright. He laughed and pushed me upstairs to<br />

get ready.<br />

I dressed in a blue-green tunic with a bronze belt, brown leggings, some<br />

blue-green chucks, a camera necklace, and some bangles. I grabbed my backpack<br />

and grabbed something off my desk at the last minute.<br />

I barreled down the stairs to find Edward done with breakfast. It looked like a<br />

- 164 -


uffet of meat! I walked warily to the table and stood at the end as Edward handed<br />

me a plate.<br />

"You look exquisite Bella."<br />

"I didn't even try Edward."<br />

"Well you look like a vision anyway. Look, I've made breakfast!"<br />

"I see."<br />

"Eat up before it gets cold" he kissed my head as he speed-cleaned the dishes.<br />

"Uh, don't you think that this amount of food is a little extensive?"<br />

"This isn't all for you Bella. I mean, haven't you noticed? Most of the meat isn't<br />

thoroughly cooked."<br />

"Oh. You made food for my girls too. I had forgotten about that." I smiled<br />

sheepishly and piled my plate with food. I sat down while Edward distributed the<br />

rest of the food to my girls.<br />

"Well, dig in" he encouraged after he sat down. I tried a big bite of Edward's food.<br />

I thought that since Esme can cook, Edward's breakfast would rock.<br />

"So, how is it?" he asked eagerly.<br />

"Have you ever cooked before Edward?" I asked cautiously.<br />

"Well no but I've seen a couple of shows."<br />

"Really, when?"<br />

"A couple of decades ago."<br />

"Well, I love that you tried your hardest."<br />

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked confused.<br />

"Well, maybe Esme can help you out before you try cooking for me. I'll gladly be<br />

your guinea pig but only under supervision."<br />

- 165 -


"Are you saying that my food is disgusting?" he asked appalled.<br />

"No, I just think that there is room for improvement."<br />

"What's wrong with my food?"<br />

"Eggs aren't usually crunchy honey and how did you turn on the oven for the<br />

cinnamon buns?"<br />

"Oven? You mean I wasn't supposed to fry them?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> directions are on the label Edward!"<br />

"I thought they were suggestions! We didn't exactly have 20 minutes for them to<br />

cook!"<br />

I laughed at his frustration and gave him a peck on the lips.<br />

"I love that you tried and it was sweet of you. Thanks sugar."<br />

"No problem at all my love" he murmured as he pecked me back. I felt the shiver<br />

run down my back when he called me love.<br />

I finished my breakfast and we headed outside. We both started toward our<br />

respective cars when he called for me.<br />

"Where are you going Bella?"<br />

"School Edward. Why, were you planning on playing hooky?"<br />

"I just thought you were going to ride in my car" he mumbled as he kicked the<br />

ground. He looked so adorable so I ran up to him.<br />

"Let's go so we're not late." I told him. He grinned and we set off to school.<br />

Everyone stared as we got to the school.<br />

"Don't these people have anything better to do than stare" Edward griped as we<br />

walked toward my first class.<br />

"Not really."<br />

"We might as well put on a show" he grinned as he put on his sunglasses and<br />

- 166 -


draped an arm over my shoulder.<br />

"I had a feeling you would say that" I smiled as I placed my own glasses on and<br />

hung my arm around his waist. We walked to my class and before he left, he kissed<br />

me. We heard a gasp and then footsteps ran past us.<br />

<strong>The</strong> day went on pretty well besides the bawling that came from Jessica and the<br />

glares Lauren kept sending me. I had a feeling that it had something to do with this<br />

morning but I couldn't bring myself to care. I never really had much happiness in my<br />

life and I wasn't going to stop because of a couple of petty girls.<br />

<strong>The</strong> lunch bell rung and I skipped to the door where Edward was waiting for me.<br />

He was leaning against the wall with his foot propped up, looking like a model.<br />

"You look so hot, it should be illegal," I said and fanned myself as I walked toward<br />

him.<br />

"Lucky for you, I like breaking the law almost as much as you do," he teased. I<br />

laughed and wound my arm around him as he leaned down and gave me a kiss on<br />

the head. We bought lunch and sat down at the table where the rest of the Cullens<br />

were.<br />

"Hey Bella, what's new?" asked Emmett as I sat down. Edward scooted closer to<br />

me, leaned back in his seat and started playing with my hair.<br />

"Nothing much. Just making enemies and eating grapes." I replied as I tossed up a<br />

grape and attempted to catch it.<br />

"What enemies?" Emmett asked as he clapped when I caught the grape.<br />

"Oh just Lauren and Jessica. <strong>The</strong>y seem to have a grudge because Edward fancies<br />

me and not them." I shrugged. Jasper's head perked up when I explained.<br />

"Speaking of you guys dating Bella; I have something to tell you."<br />

"Oh? Well go ahead then."<br />

"Well I just wanted to let you know that Edward has been lonely for many years<br />

and I want to make sure you treat him right," Jasper started as Edward's hand froze<br />

on my hair.<br />

"Continue" I urged as Jasper paused. He had a wicked glint in his eyes and the<br />

- 167 -


others looked as if they were holding in their giggles.<br />

"He hasn't been with a woman and I want to make sure you will not take<br />

advantage of his heart."<br />

"Shut up Jasper," hissed Edward.<br />

"In fact," Jasper chuckled as he grinned maliciously at Edward "Edward chose a<br />

specific song for you to hear that would express his feelings."<br />

"Don't even think about it" Edward warned.<br />

I looked toward Edward puzzled but he seemed to be holding himself back from<br />

pouncing at Jasper. I placed a soothing hand on his shoulder and turned to see<br />

Jasper handing me his Ipod.<br />

"Just press play" he pointed. I put the earphones in and laughed aloud as soon as I<br />

recognized the tune.<br />

"Don't go breaking his heart" Jasper sang along with the song.<br />

"I couldn't if I tried" I sang back to him.<br />

"Oh Honey if he gets restless" chimed in Emmett.<br />

"Baby he's not that kind" Rosalie sang along. We had fun singing lines from the<br />

song though Edward was fuming in his seat. Near the end, Alice picked it up again.<br />

"Right from the start" sang Alice.<br />

"I gave you my heart" I ended giggling.<br />

"O-oh, I gave you my heart" Edward crooned in my ear after rolling his eyes. I<br />

looked into his eyes and beamed at the affection that was shining out. I turned to<br />

finish my lunch when I realized that the cafeteria was dead quiet.<br />

"Why is everyone so quiet?" I whispered to the table.<br />

"I'm picking up that it's because of our karaoke stunt" shrugged Edward as he<br />

settled again to play with my hair.<br />

"That's the last time I give an impromptu performance" I muttered. Jasper cracked<br />

- 168 -


a grin and the Cullens soon started to giggle hysterically.<br />

"Jasper, quit it!" laughed Rosalie. Jasper gave a sheepish smile and focused hard<br />

on the table. Soon, everyone started to mind their own business and the cafeteria<br />

soon filled with noise again.<br />

"With great power comes great responsibility" Jasper said solemnly while stroking<br />

his chin.<br />

"Shut up Spiderman, it was your powers that started the laughing in the first<br />

place" grumbled Alice. He kissed his wife on the cheek and she immediately<br />

brightened. <strong>The</strong> rest of the day went by great and I kept expecting Lauren to<br />

confront me about Edward but nothing happened.<br />

I went home after the Cullens said they would be hunting and parked in my<br />

driveway. I opened the door, put my coat and boots away, and plopped down on the<br />

couch.<br />

When I started making myself comfy, a hand clamped down on my shoulders and I<br />

heard a bone chilling voice.<br />

"Long time no see B."<br />

:O Who's at Bella's house?<br />

I've noticed that the Cullens are singing a lot. Gotta remember that it's a<br />

story not a musical.<br />

- 169 -


Old Friends<br />

Hey there! Um, *shuffles feet* sorry I've been keeping you guys waiting so<br />

long. I've been super busy with classes and then my darn car broke down but<br />

I got a brand new used one! So, yeah.<br />

Here's a chappie! I'm working on the heist details and I'll tell you guys<br />

who had the best idea (It's between two people now but I'm still taking<br />

suggestions!)<br />

All righty then, go find out who's in Bella's house!<br />

Previously:<br />

I went home after the Cullens said they would be hunting and parked in my<br />

driveway. I opened the door, put my coat and boots away, and plopped down on the<br />

couch.<br />

When I started making myself comfy, a hand clamped down on my shoulders and I<br />

heard a bone chilling voice.<br />

"Long time no see B."<br />

I stiffened but made sure that my heart was calm. This person scared the heck out<br />

of me but I was good at keeping my emotions in check, much to Jasper's dismay.<br />

"Jimmy" I greeted with a nod of my head to the person behind me.<br />

"Now, now, you know I don't' really like that name. Lucky for you, I have a soft<br />

spot for you so I'll let it slide." Jimmy grinned as he came to stand in front of me. I<br />

hated this guy with every fiber of my being. Moz had the fortune of never being<br />

around to know who he was but he's heard my stories about Jimmy and thinks he's<br />

lower than scum.<br />

"I don't like that you know what my name starts with so we'll call it even." I<br />

leveled my gaze at him.<br />

"Ah, I forgot how much I loved your spunk! It's refreshing" laughed Jimmy. I hated<br />

him and his handsome looks.<br />

- 170 -


"What do you want Jimmy" I leveled my gaze at his tinted glasses. Ever since I<br />

could remember, he has always had them on.<br />

"Maybe I just wanted to see how you were" he grinned. I never noticed how shiny<br />

his teeth were, almost predator's teeth. I wondered where I had seen them before.<br />

"Oh yes. I forgot how easy it was to look me up in the phonebook" I remarked<br />

drily. Jimmy chuckled at me.<br />

"Oh B, I don't need a phonebook to track you down, I have my ways. Besides, who<br />

uses a phone book anymore?"<br />

"Touché. What do you really want Jimmy, and cut the crap."<br />

"I wanted to see if you would take me up on my offer."<br />

I stared at Jimmy long and hard. He had offered me an opportunity to join him and<br />

his other two partners whom I had never met but I trusted him as far as I could<br />

throw him. He always showed up at a random heist and tried to persuade me to join<br />

his "better existence" as he put it but I always declined.<br />

"What makes you think that this time will be any different from the other times?" I<br />

asked curiously. Did he think he would wear me down after a while?<br />

"Just wondering." He shrugged as he examined my books. Tuna stealthily came<br />

down and sat in front of me protectively. She never liked Jimmy much and I was<br />

never prouder.<br />

"I see you still have your overgrown cat" he snorted at Tuna's sneering face.<br />

"And as you can see she still hates your guts. I know how she feels."<br />

"Oh, that hurts B" Jimmy clutched his heart and fell to his knees. I eyed him until<br />

he got up.<br />

"Are you finished with your theatrics?"<br />

"Yeah. I'll get out of your hair but remember that my offer still stands. I'll be here<br />

longer this time B."<br />

Jimmy dusted off his pants, waved and left. I stayed on the couch and stroked<br />

Tuna's hair. Jimmy always left after he offered but this time; he warned that he was<br />

- 171 -


going to be around. Should I be worried?<br />

Nah, I have the Cullen family to back me up. I waited 30 minutes until I was sure<br />

he left, set my alarm and started on dinner. As I chopped my carrots, I cursed my<br />

stupidity for deciding to leave the alarm off this morning. I had gotten too soft. I<br />

needed to get back some of my stealth.<br />

I grinned at my thought and picked up my phone.<br />

"Hello, Cullen residence" said a pleasant voice. Ah, just the person I wanted to<br />

talk to.<br />

"Hi, are you somewhere where others can't hear you?"<br />

"Oh, sure! Hold on… all right. I'm safe. How may I be of assistance to you?"<br />

"I would like to plan a heist and I need your help."<br />

"A heist? Oh, that sounds so exciting! Oh, right, I remember that plan. Sure, we<br />

can plan the details soon."<br />

"Great, when can you come over to my house?"<br />

"Well I can come this whole week. Would that be all right?"<br />

"Yeah. Can you make sure that the others are busy this whole week?"<br />

"No problem! I'll make sure they're up to their eyeballs in work." She chuckled.<br />

"Awesome! I'll see you tomorrow after school. Bye."<br />

"Sure thing, see you later."<br />

I hung up and danced around my kitchen. I wrote down some ideas and placed<br />

them in my safe. I ate dinner and went to sleep with plans floating around my head.<br />

<strong>The</strong> next day, time could not have gone slower. I was anxious to go home after<br />

school and plan stuff but I tried to relax and enjoy my day with the Cullens. I didn't<br />

fool them though because at lunch, they caught on to my anxiety.<br />

"Bella, simmer! What's got you so antsy today? It's like you're dying to go home."<br />

Jasper pointed out jokingly. All of a sudden, I felt sluggish and I started to see<br />

- 172 -


unnies hopping. <strong>The</strong> bunnies were pushing me toward a cliff.<br />

"Jasper! You gave her too much!" I heard the Edward bunny scream. He was<br />

orange.<br />

"I'm sorry! Her defenses are super strong and I didn't know how much I should<br />

give her!" the blue Jasper bunny panicked.<br />

"I'm okay bunnies, I just don't want to swimming." I told them as I gave them<br />

purple carrots. <strong>The</strong> bunnies looked at me weirdly so I looked down.<br />

"Jasper, what did you do?" asked the red Rosalie bunny.<br />

"I have no idea! I guess I may have given her so much that it made her loopy." <strong>The</strong><br />

Jasper bunny started pacing back and forth.<br />

"Well make her normal again, people are looking" said the pink and black Alice<br />

bunny.<br />

"Forget normal, loopy Bella's hilarious!" the green Emmett bunny chortled.<br />

"I'm trying but I think she's blocking me again!" said Jasper bunny, turning bluer<br />

with every passing second.<br />

"Whoa, I'm a tree! Hey Jasper bunny, don't be blue" I told him and immediately<br />

started cracking up. <strong>The</strong> scenery started to change and then it lifted completely. I<br />

could finally focus on my friends and their worried expressions.<br />

"Bella? Are you okay sweetheart?" asked Edward slowly as he put his hand on my<br />

forehead. I smacked it away and gave him a look.<br />

"I don't have a fever, I was drugged."<br />

"I'm sorry Bella! I didn't mean to do that and I couldn't take it back!" Jasper<br />

pleaded at me.<br />

"No harm done but don't you EVER do it again." I pointed at him. "It was actually<br />

pretty fun and you guys make cute bunnies."<br />

<strong>The</strong> family looked at me weirdly and we all left to our respective classes. <strong>The</strong> rest<br />

of the day went by quickly and I ran to my car. Before I left, I made eye contact with<br />

Alice and gave her an imperceptive nod. She ran her finger along her eyebrow and<br />

- 173 -


got into her yellow Porsche.<br />

Soon, I got home and took out my plans. I sat on the couch to watch Phineas and<br />

Ferb until I heard the doorbell ring. I ran to the door and swung it open.<br />

"Right on time!" I squealed.<br />

"I got here as soon as I could and made sure to cover my tracks. Carlisle is in on<br />

it" Esme smiled as she removed her coat.<br />

"That's awesome. Thank you so much for helping me Esme."<br />

"No problem at all dear. This little heist thing sounds fun and I was wondering if<br />

Carlisle and I could partake in it."<br />

"Sure! <strong>The</strong> more, the merrier!"<br />

"Oh that's great! So, what have you thought up?"<br />

"Well, I have a bunch of ideas but you can help me narrow it down to one and we'll<br />

set to work on building the set in a way that they won't break anything."<br />

"That's great!" Esme gushed. We went to the table and sat down to brainstorm.<br />

After a while, we came up with the perfect plan.<br />

"So how will it work? I really want to be part of the plan but I know everything<br />

about it." Esme pouted as she sat back. I frowned as I worked the plan over again.<br />

"I got it! How about Carlisle and Edward be the team and you can be in the<br />

background with me working out the plans. It'll be too hard to do it all myself."<br />

"Oh brilliant Bella! I can't believe I didn't think of that! Well, let's get working on<br />

the layout this weekend and then, we'll send the invitations out" Esme said evilly.<br />

"Ooh Esme, I didn't know you could sound so scary"<br />

"It's all part of my charm sweetheart. First I trick them with cookies and then I eat<br />

them up with Fava beans" she winked.<br />

"All right Hannibal Lecter," I laughed as she walked out the door "I'll meet you in<br />

the woods on Wednesday."<br />

- 174 -


"Goodbye Clarice" she sing-songed as she climbed in her car. I chuckled and then<br />

went upstairs. I couldn't wait to start building the course.<br />

Oh snap! Esme's the mystery helper!<br />

No more singing Cullens… So far.<br />

- 175 -


Invitations and Weird Explosions<br />

Hi! You guys must hate me now but I can now tell you, I have completed a<br />

chapter! AND…. It's in different POVs! YAY! :3<br />

<strong>The</strong>y don't pull of the heist here but there's plenty of heist details!<br />

So, I'm going to be getting a looooong thanksgiving break (only one extra<br />

day) but I can't regularly update because I have to write a 10-12 page paper.<br />

I'll be back and ready for sure in mid-December though! I'm even thinking<br />

of a new story!<br />

Anyway, here's the story, stop listening to my boring updates and go read<br />

already!<br />

Wednesday rolled around and I was trying to pry myself away from my handsome<br />

boyfriend.<br />

"I really have to go" I mumbled against his lips.<br />

"You don't seem like you want to" he grinned as he pecked me again.<br />

"Because you keep intoxicating me with your addictive kisses!"<br />

"You complain but you don't really mean it" he chuckled.<br />

"Yeah, yeah. All right, I really gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow!"<br />

"Wait, I'm not coming in?" he asked hurt.<br />

"Nope, secret heist stuff!" I yelled back. He nodded in understanding and drove<br />

away. When I saw that he was gone, I ran outside and jogged to the spot in the<br />

woods where I was supposed to meet Esme at. I hopped up a tree and waited until I<br />

saw a familiar blur.<br />

"Bella dear?" she called. I stayed quiet in the branches.<br />

"I could have sworn that I smelled her here" she muttered to herself. She waited<br />

quietly and then snapped her head up to the branch I was at.<br />

- 176 -


"Bella, what are you doing up in that tree? Don't you know that it isn't nice to play<br />

tricks on someone?" Esme frowned as I jumped down lightly to the ground.<br />

"I wasn't playing a trick Esme, I was covering my tracks. How'd you know I was up<br />

there?"<br />

"Advanced Vampire hearing" she shrugged.<br />

"Darn, wish I had some of that."<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y sell it at your local stores" she jested.<br />

"Ha ha. All right Esme, let's get to work."<br />

"Hop on dear" Esme bent forward and I climbed onto her back. When she tipped<br />

forward, I jumped off her back and tried to help her up.<br />

"Oh my gosh Esme! I'm so sorry! I thought since Edward and Alice could carry<br />

me, then you would be able to but I should have known. Are you alright?" I asked<br />

worriedly. I couldn't believe it. Less than a week of planning with Esme and I broke<br />

her!<br />

"Bella, it's quite all right, I just…"<br />

"No it's not OK Esme! I can't believe I broke you! Oh my gosh, now I'm gonna<br />

have the whole family after me! Edward's going to hate me! Emmett's going to use<br />

me as his new chew toy! I'm dead! I'm DEAD!" I wailed as I sank to the ground.<br />

"Oh Bella, I didn't mean to make you so worried!"<br />

"How can I not be worried when you're broken? I don't even know how to fix<br />

vampires! It's not like there's a seminar at the local YMCA!" I cried again. Esme kept<br />

trying to make me feel better but I kept my head down with shame. Finally, she<br />

broke.<br />

"Bella! Excuse my language but, SHUT the hell UP!" she exploded. My head<br />

snapped up to see Esme standing in front of me with an annoyed look on her face.<br />

"You're OK?" I croaked.<br />

"Right as rain" she modeled in front of me.<br />

- 177 -


"You tricked me?"<br />

"No, I bent over to tie my shoe. Can't be tripping over my own laces and causing<br />

you bodily harm, Edward would be devastated."<br />

"Oh. Well, let's go then." I dusted my pants off and approached Esme warily. She<br />

rolled her eyes, yanked my arms over her shoulders and set off.<br />

"Pu-shy" I muttered as I adjusted myself on her back. Esme chuckled and<br />

accelerated a bit more. After about 20 minutes, Esme slowed down to hop a fence.<br />

When she stopped in front of a building, I hopped off.<br />

"This place?" she asked while wrinkling her nose at it.<br />

"Yep. Can't you see the beauty of it?" I asked her as I closed my eyes and took in a<br />

deep breath.<br />

"I must have missed the beauty part" she remarked drily.<br />

"Oh shush. Let's go inside and I'll show you what we'll be doing to the place."<br />

We walked in to the building and I stopped at the main lobby.<br />

"Wow, it looks so different inside." Esme awed.<br />

"Yep. It used to be a bank back in the times of the Great depression and then they<br />

tried changing it to a hotel with a working movie theater before finally giving up<br />

with the building. None of the elevators work but I only plan on using three of them.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are eight levels here, which works out great for us."<br />

"Where will we be setting up?"<br />

"We'll be at the top level and we have to find some way for all of them to start at<br />

the basement."<br />

"What about an underground tunnel or a secret trap."<br />

"No to the tunnel because that will take too much but I like the secret trap door<br />

idea. It has to be something they'll never expect."<br />

"Ok, good. Now, we have to split the floors up between the teams."<br />

- 178 -


"<strong>The</strong>re's only three teams though."<br />

"Right. I was thinking I could split up the teams at several different points so they<br />

can all work together. I want them to trust each other and the point of a heist<br />

working perfectly is to make sure that the trust in your partner works out perfectly<br />

as well."<br />

"Oh that sound like an amazing idea. I have been trying to make everyone work<br />

well together for decades but to no avail."<br />

"Glad I could help Esme. Now, I've already worked out who is going to end up<br />

with whom so all we have to do is build it."<br />

"Let's get to work!" Esme clapped her hands. We grabbed our toolboxes and<br />

walkie-talkies and set off to work.<br />

Several hours later, I had finished painting my floor and Esme came down from<br />

doing all the electrical work. She had finished with the painting and the clean up<br />

while I had been working on my floor.<br />

"So is it all set up?"<br />

"Yep. All we have to do is the props, the notes and the testing."<br />

"<strong>The</strong> testing is going to be super fun Esme."<br />

"Are you sure the children won't break it?"<br />

"Try it yourself." I gestured toward one of the metal sheets lying around. Esme<br />

picked it up and tried to tear it apart. She struggled for a bit before giving up.<br />

"What kind of metal is that?" she asked winded and surprised.<br />

"A special alloy and a bit of venom."<br />

"Vampire venom? Where in the world did you get that and how did you do it?"<br />

"I've collected a bit from Carlisle, who was very interested in the outcome and<br />

spent a few nights trying to create a metal that would withstand it. I tested it with<br />

Edward by asking him to bend prototypes. When he couldn't bend one particular<br />

one, I, ah, distracted him."<br />

- 179 -


"Distracted him, eh?" Esme asked with a raised eyebrow.<br />

"It was PG-13 Esme! Geez. You've been around Emmett too long." I protested<br />

while my cheeks flamed with humiliation.<br />

"All right, I believe you. Relax." She snickered.<br />

"Can we just go home?" I asked as I put my stuff away.<br />

"I'm sorry Bella. I didn't mean to poke fun at you. To be honest, I think that you<br />

are the best choice Edward has ever had." She gave me a hug and tucked a hair<br />

behind my ear. We smiled at each other over the bonding moment we were having.<br />

"He's had other choices?" I asked. Esme's hand froze and her eyes widened<br />

minutely.<br />

Bonding moment broken.<br />

"Pardon me dear?" I couldn't believe it. Was Esme trying to play stupid?<br />

"You said I was the best choice he has had. Who were the other choices?"<br />

"Well, it's not so much as he has chosen them, more like they chose him. He chose<br />

you though dear and that is all that matters."<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re's more than one suitor for Edward?" I asked calmly. I knew going out with<br />

a vampire hottie was a bad idea.<br />

"Not really. Just a couple of girls but they mean nothing to him. You are his one<br />

true love."<br />

"Who are they?"<br />

"Excuse me dear?" she asked nervously.<br />

"I said, who are they? Do you know them? Do they still like him? Are they human?"<br />

"Uh, they are lovely girls that we have known for some time and though they have<br />

a fondness for Edward, he has done nothing but show them courtesy."<br />

"Are. <strong>The</strong>y. Human?"<br />

- 180 -


"Well technically, I would assume that they are under the category of the Homo<br />

sapiens variety but I don't much believe in the evolution theory because wouldn't all<br />

monkeys become humans then? And another thing is that I think…"<br />

"Esme!" I cut her off, "I'm glad you have an opinion but I asked you another<br />

question entirely."<br />

"Well…"<br />

"Well?"<br />

"No" she sighed. I took in a measured breath and looked at Esme. She looked back<br />

cautiously. I stared at her for a few minutes until I finally cracked a smile. <strong>The</strong>n, I<br />

started giggling.<br />

"Are you feeling all right Bella?"<br />

"Oh I'm great!" I grinned at her. Why wouldn't I be?<br />

"Are you sure?"<br />

"Yep! Why do you ask?"<br />

"Well, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting."<br />

"Can you blame me? I found out that Edward turned down vampire goddesses to<br />

go out with me! Me! I mean, WOW. He can have, uh, relations, with them and all he<br />

can do with me is get kisses. Granted they're out of this world making out sessions<br />

but it's still weirdly great. " I laughed.<br />

"Well, uh, good for you dear. I'm very glad." Esme said a bit confused. I was<br />

freaking out on the inside but I figured that as long as he's with me, then nothing is<br />

wrong.<br />

"All righty! Let's go. " I clapped my hands and hopped on her back. She sped back<br />

toward my house and dropped me off at the door.<br />

"See you tomorrow dear."<br />

"All right Esme. Sleep tight" I joked. She chuckled and loped off into the woods. I<br />

got my stuff ready for the next day and got ready for bed. Before I went to my room,<br />

I climbed into my serenity room and sat in the middle of my carpet. After a while,<br />

- 181 -


Tuna and Fish sat crept next to me and started rubbing their heads on me.<br />

Tuna brought her face close to mine and placed her tawny head on my forehead.<br />

Fish ran off and then came back with a box of tissues. I didn't remember when I had<br />

been crying but I reached for the box all the same.<br />

I had tried to prove I was all right with the information Esme shared with me<br />

about Edward but it was still a big blow to know that there were women that were<br />

infatuated with Edward. Not just women, vampire women. Was I just a distraction?<br />

Something to pass the time?<br />

After crying for some time, I locked up my fears and doubts like I have done all<br />

these years and sucked in a deep breath. I hugged my girls close to me and<br />

eventually, I drifted off to sleep.<br />

I woke up in a rush the next morning. When I lifted myself off the floor, I looked<br />

straight at Tuna who was staring at me intently. I cocked my head to the side and<br />

after hearing nothing, I stood up to go get ready. I went into my room to get my<br />

bathroom kit when I heard a horrified gasp.<br />

"What in the hell happened to your hair?"<br />

"Alice? How did you get in here?"<br />

"I knocked and your fox let me in." she shrugged as she sat on my bed.<br />

"I knew I shouldn't have taught her how to open a door." I muttered to myself.<br />

"Well, she did. Now, what happened to your hair? You look like you have bed head<br />

from the 80s."<br />

"What?" I ran to my mirror and gasped. It looked more like I got in a fight with a<br />

curler and some hairspray.<br />

"Yep. You're lucky no one else can come in to see your new hair-don't."<br />

"I knew Tuna had a smirk on her face this morning."<br />

"If I had seen you, I would have laughed as well."<br />

"All right, enough ridiculing my rat's nest. What did you come here for?"<br />

- 182 -


"I came here to pick out an outfit. I want you to look fabulous today."<br />

"So I don't look fabulous every day?"<br />

"Not FabuAlice. Here, I came early and I've laid the outfit out on your dresser.<br />

Now, go shower and stuff while I get your school stuff ready and we'll be on our<br />

way."<br />

"Ok." I nodded and went off to my shower. I was about to step in to the warm<br />

water when I realized something. I grabbed a towel and ran back to my room where<br />

Alice was about to grab my school bag.<br />

"Put the bag down!" I shouted. Alice froze and looked at me startled.<br />

"What? Why?"<br />

"Uh, because I need it for later today and there's something delicate in there. If<br />

you don't handle it properly, it could explode." I was lying to her but I didn't want<br />

her to know the real reason why she couldn't hold the bag.<br />

"I don't like school either Bella but not so much that I would blow it up."<br />

"No, no! It's for something else. Some, uh, heist stuff for Moz. Very valuable and<br />

careful. From the Renaissance Era so it's irreplaceable."<br />

"Ok. I'll put it down" she said slowly and stood back up.<br />

"Thanks" I sighed and leaned onto the doorframe.<br />

"Uh Bella? You gonna take a shower now?"<br />

"Oh right! I'll, uh, see you in a little bit." I said as I backed out slowly. I rushed to<br />

the shower and scrubbed as fast as I could while simultaneously brushing my teeth.<br />

I ran back to my room in my towel where Alice was still standing.<br />

"You're finished showering?" she asked surprised.<br />

"Yep. I wanted a jump start on today."<br />

"Wow. Guinness better make way for you."<br />

"Ha. Right. Now, where are those clothes?"<br />

- 183 -


"Oh! Here! Hurry up and get dressed so I can pretty you up."<br />

I grabbed the clothes Alice threw at me and hurried to get dressed. I pulled on the<br />

black pants, pulled on the black tank top and the purple tank top over that one. I<br />

shrugged on the jean jacket and held up the purple heels that Alice had given me.<br />

"Uh, I think you made a mistake here Alice."<br />

"Hmm? Oh, no mistake! Those are your shoes silly!"<br />

"I don't like heels very much." I started complaining but Alice cut me off with a<br />

firm head shake and a devious smile.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y make your legs look amazing and uh, word on the street is that a certain<br />

someone likes them very much on you." She winked.<br />

"I didn't know that Jasper liked my legs so much." I teased as I looked down. Alice<br />

stuck her tongue out and threw a pillow at me. I chuckled and pulled on the heels o'<br />

death.<br />

"Great! All right, I told Edward I was driving you to school so if you want<br />

canoodling time with him, you'll get a move on."<br />

"Canoodling?"<br />

"Shut up and get in the car!"<br />

I grabbed my backpack and settled myself into Alice's car. She settled into her<br />

seat, cranked up her radio and sang along with her songs. I wasn't able to talk to her<br />

so I sang along. When we got to the school, I saw Edward waiting for us at his car.<br />

As I stepped out, his eyes widened and he gave the little pixie next to me a very dirty<br />

look.<br />

"Why does he look like he wants to kill you?"<br />

"Oh no reason. He just hates that I put you in heels."<br />

"Oh, does he not like them? I think they're kind of cute" I said as I looked at the<br />

shoes.<br />

"Oh just the opposite" she smiled "remember what I said back at the house?"<br />

- 184 -


"uh… Oh! About how a certain someone lo…" I began after remembering what she<br />

said.<br />

"Yes that!" Alice cut me off with a meaningful look.<br />

"Ah, I gotcha."<br />

"Good. Now, why don't you give him a show?" she said as she swayed her hips. I<br />

got her meaning and put a little swagger in my walk. When I got to Edward, he<br />

scooped me in his arms and buried his face in my neck.<br />

"Well hello to you too." I patted his head.<br />

"Hi" he said in a choked voice.<br />

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"<br />

"Nope, a fox does. Bella you look h-amazing."<br />

"H-amazing? That's a new one."<br />

"I apologize. I was delving into the mind of people around me and almost called<br />

you hot when you look so much more than that."<br />

"Doesn't matter. I'll take H-amazing anytime."<br />

"He Bella, What's the haps?" Emmett asked as they joined us.<br />

"Not much, just inventing some new words."<br />

"What word would that be?"<br />

"H-amazing. Apparently, I'm so hot Edward couldn't settle for one word."<br />

"Well, I could understand that. I tell you Bella" he said as he put an arm around<br />

me "if Rosalie weren't alive, I'd… stay single until she was created." He finished<br />

after getting a glare from Rosalie.<br />

"Yeah, that's what I thought you said."<br />

"Of course Honey, there's no one for me except you" he sweet-talked as he hugged<br />

her. He winked at me while she was in his arms which got a growl from Edward.<br />

- 185 -


"Ooh, touchy." Emmett sniffed.<br />

Classes went by quickly and when lunchtime rolled around, I called Esme to check<br />

on progress.<br />

"Hey Esme, what's the deal?"<br />

"Hi honey! Well, I was able to make the rooms look like you drew them and I<br />

figured out all the trap doors but bravo on the instructions honey! <strong>The</strong>y were<br />

amazingly simple enough to follow. I rigged the rooms with the obstacles and all you<br />

have to do is the programming and the invitations."<br />

"No problem. I hid the invitations already; it's just a matter of them finding it. <strong>The</strong><br />

programming could be done tomorrow so after that, we'll be all set!"<br />

"Oh excellent! When is the set date?"<br />

"Uh, I can't say it out loud but it should be on Carlisle's so you can watch it with<br />

him. We'll have to meet up a few hours before the game starts so that we can<br />

monitor everything. Remember, we have to be four steps ahead of them the entire<br />

time."<br />

"Why four?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y're smart Esme. We'll have to be smarter."<br />

"Gotcha."<br />

"Alright Esme, I have to go."<br />

"Okay Bella. Talk to you later."<br />

I hung up and went to the lunch line to get my food. I was reaching for a fruit cup<br />

when I felt someone nudge my side.<br />

"Well Bella! Fancy meeting you here."<br />

"It's a small school Mike. We were bound to bump into each other at some point."<br />

I said annoyed.<br />

"Right" he coughed. "I must say Bella, your legs look pretty hot today."<br />

- 186 -


"My eyes are up here Mike." His eyes traveled up but they stopped below my<br />

neck.<br />

"A little higher buddy." I scowled.<br />

"Don't frown Bells, you'll ruin that pretty face and then what would your boyfriend<br />

say?" Mike asked with a sneer.<br />

"What's that supposed to mean? You think that my relationship with Edward is<br />

just skin deep?" I snorted at the ridiculous thought but Mike took my comment<br />

seriously.<br />

"I don't know, is it? I sure wouldn't treat you like that."<br />

I got seriously angry. How dare Mike think Edward only went out with me because<br />

he thought I was pretty?<br />

"Well he seems to like my hairy back" I told him sweetly.<br />

"Your what?"<br />

"Mm-hmm. I thought it would turn off someone as good-looking as Edward,<br />

thought he'd be vain" I mock whispered, "but he took to it well. He even helps me<br />

shave!"<br />

"He shaves it?"<br />

"Yup! Every other day after school. He's such a kind and loving boyfriend."<br />

"Every other day?" Mike asked weakly.<br />

"Yeah. I don't know what it is, some kind of freak hormone. Anyway, he's too tired<br />

to shave sometimes so he brushes it when it gets long. He told me to grow it out<br />

during the winter."<br />

"Why?"<br />

"Saves money on a fur coat! I mean, why would I go out and buy a heavy coat<br />

when I got a human made one here?"<br />

"Fur coats?"<br />

- 187 -


"<strong>The</strong>y're super itchy anyway."<br />

"And your back isn't itchy?"<br />

"Nope, I take weekly flea baths. I mean, can you imagine? Hey Mike, are you OK?<br />

You're starting to look a little green."<br />

"I'm suddenly not hungry anymore. I'll see you later Bella."<br />

I waved to Mike after I finished paying and walked over to the table. When I got<br />

there, the guys were chortling and the girls looked amused yet disgusted.<br />

"Hairy back? Nice one" Emmett high fived me.<br />

"My favorite part was the 'he shaves my back every other day'" Jasper howled.<br />

"Flea baths. Classic" Rosalie snorted. I would have thought she would have been<br />

disgusted but she looked genuinely amused.<br />

"I'd always brush your hairy back." Edward kissed my nose.<br />

"Come on Alice, you didn't think it was at least a little funny?"<br />

"Not at all, I'm appalled really. Who would pass up a fur coat?" she asked<br />

outraged. I was ready to dig into my food when Edward started to stroke my back<br />

harshly. I tipped forward and looked back at him confused.<br />

"What are you doing?"<br />

"Pretending you have an itch, Mike's about to toss his cookies." Edward chuckled.<br />

"Good God. I tell him I have a hairy back and he keeps looking over here?"<br />

"He's baffled. He doesn't know whether to believe you or think you're lying but<br />

you looked so serious that even I believed you." Jasper commented. I shrugged and<br />

picked up my books to go to my next class. Esme and I rigged real time cameras on<br />

the invites so we could show them afterward. My day was going to be boring from<br />

now on but I couldn't wait to see the reactions from the invitations.<br />

Jasper POV<br />

As soon as we got home, Rosalie dragged Emmett upstairs. She's been antsy since<br />

- 188 -


after lunch but I didn't know why. Gathering Emmett's feelings, I had a pretty good<br />

idea what was on his mind.<br />

Edward chuckled and shuddered as we heard the door lock.<br />

"Hey Edward, I have a question. Do you know why Rosalie was acting all weird<br />

after lunch?" Edward scrunched up his brows and shook his head.<br />

"Now that I realize it, she's been keeping her thoughts blocked from me since<br />

then as well."<br />

"That's weird. Judging from Emmett's feelings, I have a pretty good idea what he<br />

wants to do." Edward and I shuddered.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>n it's a good thing to leave them be." He said. I wholeheartedly agreed and<br />

we sat down to watch some show on the Food Network. As the chef put his chicken<br />

in the oven, the love of my life danced into the room.<br />

"Edward, Carlisle's calling you." She told him as she sat down on my lap. I<br />

encircled my arms around her and put my chin on her shoulder.<br />

"He did? Oh, all right but is it urgent? I want to finish watching this."<br />

"He needs you right away. You should go now." She leveled him with a look.<br />

Edward stood up to leave but kept looking back at my wife strangely.<br />

"What did Carlisle need him for hun?" I asked as I twirled a strand of her hair<br />

around my fingers.<br />

"He didn't" she said as she slapped my hand away. "I've been working on my hair<br />

for hours Jasper, hands off."<br />

"It only takes you a few seconds darlin' and why did you send Edward away then?"<br />

"To show you this" she said as she pulled out a manila envelope. It had our names<br />

on it in fancy calligraphy.<br />

"Who's it from?" I wondered.<br />

"Let's find out!" Alice said with a glint in her eye. She opened the envelope and a<br />

small device popped out.<br />

- 189 -


"<strong>The</strong>y want us to listen to music?" I asked. Suddenly, a green light flashed and<br />

Alice dropped it. <strong>The</strong> green light flashed around the whole room and on us as well.<br />

"Suspects confirmed. Room cleared" said a tinny voice.<br />

"What was that?" Alice asked frightened.<br />

"I don't know, let's find out." I told her and picked up the small screen. I pressed<br />

the green button and Bella came on.<br />

"Bella?" I asked confused.<br />

"Yes Jasper and Alice, it's me. I am formally inviting you to a heist. I have printed<br />

directions for you about your artifact and it is up to you to use your skills to extract<br />

it without setting off any alarms. It may sound easy but I have designed it<br />

specifically for you. Don't underestimate anything. Alice, I have made sure that I<br />

keep changing my mind, that's why you haven't seen anything. So, quit pouting"<br />

Bella pointed at the screen toward us. I turned my head to find Alice's expression to<br />

be sheepish.<br />

"That was freaky. It seems she's more psychic than I am."<br />

"No, I'm not more psychic than you are and no, I cannot hear you. I'm just<br />

predicting what you would say." Bella said on the screen.<br />

"Freaky" whispered Alice.<br />

"Anyway, make sure to tell no one and keep your directions safe. You will have a<br />

departing time and a set of directions to the place. A good spy finds different means<br />

of transportation so that means that you're not allowed to take your cars. Bye guys<br />

and good luck." Bella said and the screen went dark.<br />

"That's it? No fancy poof or falling apart?" Alice screamed. <strong>The</strong> screen popped<br />

back to life with a message. It said '20 seconds til self destruction.'<br />

"Happy now?" I asked annoyed and we ran to the forest before the machine<br />

exploded. We ran through the trees and tried to find a place to put the machine<br />

under. We had five seconds left. I was about to put it under a rock when Alice<br />

snatched it and hurled it at the river. She tackled me at the same time that the river<br />

exploded.<br />

I felt water splash all around me and a smack on my head. I looked up after the<br />

- 190 -


water stopped and saw a large amount of bubbles in the river. I looked down to see<br />

a flopping fish next to me and decided that that was what had smacked me on the<br />

head. I threw it back in the river and helped Alice sit up.<br />

"That was pretty cool" she giggled as she took twigs out from her hair.<br />

"I feel like James Bond" I admitted as I dusted my clothes off from the mud.<br />

"James Bond was never covered in mud" grinned Alice.<br />

"Neither was his amazing looking lady friend… until now" I yelled and threw a<br />

huge chunk of mud at her.<br />

"Jasper Nicholas Whitlock! I'm going to dismember you!" she screamed before<br />

picking up an equally large amount of mud and chucking it at me. We played with<br />

mud for the next three hours before heading back home.<br />

We were walking in the door when I tripped over Alice's foot. I held on to her and<br />

we both fell down in a laughing heap.<br />

"I love you Jasper, even if you got me filthy."<br />

"And I love you for throwing me to the ground when the MP3 exploded in the<br />

river." I told her as I kissed her nose. We were both lying comfortably on the ground<br />

when we heard a crash. We looked up to see a broken glass vase, flowers and water<br />

all over the floor.<br />

"What's wrong Esme?" Alice asked as we got up. Esme looked at the ground and<br />

then fixed us with a glare.<br />

"I'm going to kill you" she said venomously. She got down into a crouch as the rest<br />

of the family came rushing down.<br />

"Why? What did we do? Guys help us!" Alice screamed as Esme stalked toward us.<br />

"No way, we're all already in trouble" Rosalie shook her head and took a few steps<br />

back, looking terrified.<br />

"And why the hell not?" I asked outraged.<br />

"Have you seen the carpet?" Edward asked us. Alice and I swiveled our heads<br />

toward the spot and we realized that we left a huge mud stain on the white carpet.<br />

- 191 -


"Oh" we both said together. Alice and I looked at each other, looked at Esme, and<br />

then booked out of the house.<br />

"When you come back, you had better bring a new carpet with you otherwise it's<br />

off with your heads!" Esme yelled behind us.<br />

"Someone's been watching Alice in Wonderland again" murmured Alice as we<br />

headed to the direction of the closest mall. I chuckled and we sped off into the<br />

mountains.<br />

RPOV<br />

As soon as we got back to the house after school, I dragged Emmett upstairs<br />

quickly. I slammed our bedroom door shut and threw Emmett on the bed.<br />

"Whoa babe! Couldn't wait for the day to be over could ya?" I ignored his<br />

comment as I rummaged through my bag.<br />

"Got something naughty in there Rose?" Emmett asked as he came up behind me.<br />

"Nope, I got this" I showed him the packet I had found after lunch.<br />

"Whoa, what's this?" Emmett asked as he took the packet away from me. He<br />

turned it over and pulled out an MP3.<br />

"Cool, music!" Emmett squealed and rushed over to put it in the stereo.<br />

"Emmett, I don't think it's for…" I started but my oaf of a husband put it in<br />

anyway. <strong>The</strong> device flashed a weird blue light.<br />

"No wait Emmett!" I screamed but it was too late. Emmett had picked it up and<br />

crushed it with his hands.<br />

"Whoops. Sorry babe."<br />

"Now we'll never know what it was!" I glared at my husband and he looked down<br />

at the broken machinery.<br />

"Wait, there's a note in here" he said and held up a folded piece of hot pink paper.<br />

I opened it and went back to my backpack.<br />

- 192 -


"What's the note say babe?" Emmett asked and I threw the note at him. I used my<br />

nails to rip open the stitching along my school bag to find another identical MP3. It<br />

had a sticky note that said "Try not to break this one ;)"<br />

I picked it up with wonder. How had it gotten in there? And when? <strong>The</strong> weird blue<br />

light flashed again and this time, I held Emmett at bay.<br />

"Suspects confirmed. Room clear" we heard a tinny voice say.<br />

"Crappy song" Emmett mumbled. <strong>The</strong> screen had a glowing green button and I<br />

touched it.<br />

"Rosalie, Emmett. Glad you found the back up." Bella appeared on the screen.<br />

"This is your formal invitation for the heist. In the packet, there is also your artifact<br />

information, your directions, and your instructions. You will be expected to take<br />

different means of transformation. Your cars are not allowed. I have built the<br />

obstacles with you in mind so do not underestimate it. "<br />

"How'd she know it was the back up?" Emmett asked.<br />

"I had a feeling you'd break it. No, I cannot hear you Emmett, I just know you very<br />

well." Bella said on the screen. Emmett was about to open his mouth again when<br />

Bella spoke again. "I'm not psychic either. Anyway, I'll see you two when the time is<br />

right." She said and the screen went black.<br />

"That's it? No fancy explosion? Those spy movies lie. Aren't messages always<br />

supposed to blow up?" Emmett whined as I put the MP3 down. Suddenly, the<br />

machine started beeping and a message appeared on the screen.<br />

"20 seconds til self destruct?" read Emmett. We both looked up at each other and<br />

started panicking.<br />

"Where do we put it?" he yelled at me.<br />

"I don't know! Where do people normally put those things?"<br />

"Most people throw it in the air or something!"<br />

"We can't throw it outside!" I cried at him.<br />

"Well then what do we do Rosalie?"<br />

- 193 -


"Put it in something! Maybe water will short it out!"<br />

"Good idea!" he yelled and ran to our bathroom. He threw it in the toilet where<br />

the beeping quieted down. We both sighed and as we reached down to pull the lid<br />

up, it happened.<br />

<strong>The</strong> toilet exploded.<br />

Bits of toilet rained down on us along with a torrent of water. We kept getting<br />

sprayed by the water as we tried to close up the toilet pipe.<br />

"Why is there so much water?" Emmett cried as he got sprayed by another surge<br />

of water.<br />

"How much pressure is in there?" I shrieked as I tried to find the valve. Suddenly,<br />

the water lessened and eventually stopped.<br />

"Did the water run out?" I asked and Emmett shrugged his shoulders. We were<br />

both peering down at the broken toilet when we heard a throat clearing behind us.<br />

We whirled around in unison to the person leaning in the doorway.<br />

"Thought you could use some help."<br />

"Uh, the toilet broke and we couldn't turn it off." Emmett muttered.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> water turn off is under the sink."<br />

"Uh thanks. Could you not mention this to Esme?" I pleaded.<br />

"Yeah. As long as you don't mention what happened to my closet." Edward said as<br />

he stuck his hand out.<br />

"Deal. What happened?" asked Emmett as they shook hands.<br />

"I couldn't find anywhere to put Bella's self destruct note."<br />

"Us too." We were all laughing when we heard Esme's horrified gasp behind<br />

Edward.<br />

"What. Did. You. Do?" she asked horrified. Emmett and I just stood there looking<br />

like drowned cats.<br />

- 194 -


"Uh, we'll fix it." Emmett blurted. I had a feeling that if he could blush, his feet<br />

would be red.<br />

"You had darn better." She scolded us and went downstairs.<br />

"Well, we should get the supplies downstairs." Emmett said awkwardly.<br />

"Do you think she heard what I did or was she too focused on your, er,<br />

predicament?" Edward asked with a sheepish grin.<br />

"I heard that as well Edward! You had better get to work as well or I'll be a very<br />

angry vampire momma." Esme shouted from the kitchen.<br />

"Damn." Emmett and I gave him smug smiles and I dragged them both down the<br />

stairs behind me.<br />

"Hold on! Wait never mind, go without me, I'll catch up." yelled Emmett and he<br />

ran outside. Edward and I loaded up the supplies and raced back upstairs. Emmett<br />

ran up after a while and handed us a bouquet of wild flowers.<br />

"Whoa Emmett, slow down. What will Rosalie think? I mean, she's right in front of<br />

us." Edward stage whispered as he got his bouquet of creamy red, cream, and violet<br />

flowers.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y're not for you moron, they're for Esme," Emmett rolled his eyes at him but<br />

then added in another stage whisper, "Besides, I got something special planned for<br />

us later pookie bear."<br />

"Looking forward to it" winked Edward after he snorted.<br />

"Gross guys, you can talk about your fake affair later. I think I have a pretty green<br />

dress that might fit you Edward."<br />

"Good, I'll go and get Bella's green pumps. <strong>The</strong>y were smexy." Edward sniffed at<br />

me.<br />

"Smexy?" chuckled Emmett.<br />

"Yeah, smexy. I got it from Bella once." Edward shrugged.<br />

"What does it mean?" Emmett asked.<br />

- 195 -


"I don't know."<br />

"O-kay. Well anyway, we're going to give these flowers to Esme to, you know,<br />

soften her up a little bit."<br />

"Good idea Emmett! She loves these flowers." Edward said. He ran to his room<br />

and threw something at us.<br />

"Ribbons? Why do you have ribbons?"<br />

"I would rather not talk about that Rosalie."<br />

"Did it have something to do with that day that Lauren decided she would leave<br />

you her…"<br />

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Edward shouted as Emmett and I laughed.<br />

We tied the ribbons onto the wild flowers, hid them behind our backs, and went<br />

downstairs to Esme. We all stood around awkwardly when Esme turned toward us.<br />

"Yes?" she asked annoyed. We all looked at each other until Edward and I<br />

simultaneously elbowed Emmett forward. Emmett stumbled forward and seemed to<br />

shrink under Esme's scrutinizing glare.<br />

"We're sorry!" Emmett cried and threw himself onto his knees while shoving the<br />

flowers under Esme's nose. He hugged her feet and fake sobbed for her forgiveness.<br />

"Brave husband you got there" Edward scoffed as he handed Esme his bouquet<br />

and gave her a hug.<br />

"We can't all have super awesome spy girlfriends or husbands Edward" I sniffed at<br />

him as I gave Esme my flowers and my hug.<br />

"Quit sniping at each other and go tidy up your messes" Esme reprimanded and<br />

shooed us upstairs. We were finished mopping up the water when we heard a crash.<br />

We all got to the hallway, looked at each other, and ran down the stairs where<br />

Carlisle met up with us.<br />

"I'm going to kill you." Said Esme venomously. We saw Esme get into a hunting<br />

crouch as we got to the bottom. We saw Jasper and Alice, dirty as can be and mud<br />

all over the white carpet.<br />

"Why? What did we do? Guys help us!" Alice screamed as Esme stalked toward<br />

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them. I know she was not talking to us. We had just gotten Esme irritated; I didn't<br />

want to be dismembered!<br />

"No way, we're all already in trouble" I shook my head and took a few steps back.<br />

"And why the hell not?" Jasper asked outraged.<br />

"Have you seen the carpet?" Edward asked them. Alice and Jasper swiveled their<br />

heads toward the spot and they both had a look of realization.<br />

"Oh," they both said together. Alice and Jasper looked at each other, looked at<br />

Esme, and then booked out of the house.<br />

"When you come back, you had better bring a new carpet with you otherwise it's<br />

off with your heads!" Esme yelled behind them. We all tried hard not to crack up but<br />

one look from Esme sent us running back to our crime scenes.<br />

"Wow, 5 teenagers and you still got it honey!" we heard Carlisle chuckle.<br />

"I never lost it" sniffed Esme. Emmett made gagging sounds and I giggled at him.<br />

"I heard that Emmett!"<br />

"Sorry mom!"<br />

I laughed at my husband when Esme yelled up again.<br />

"You're not out of the hot water either Rosalie Lillian Hale! Get to work!"<br />

"Yes ma'am" I replied quickly and scrubbed away the grout. Emmett stuck his<br />

tongue out at me and I gave him the finger. This heist had better be worth it.<br />

Ooh, everyone's in trouble. Anyway, get Bella's clothes on my profile and I<br />

will try to update as soon as possible.<br />

But before you go, do you guys want Edward's POV or Carlisle's POV? I<br />

know Edward's will be redundant but Carlisle hasn't been in here much.<br />

Anyway, just drop me a note!<br />

- 197 -


Moz Persuading and Carlisle's Mistake<br />

Hi guys! It's been a while, I know. Please don't hate me.<br />

I finally finished school and I've been caught up into writing this story all<br />

over again. I'm not promising frequent day to day chapters but I have<br />

started writing like a maniac. It is almost time for the heist!<br />

BPOV<br />

It was finally almost time for the heist.<br />

Esme had led Carlisle to believe that she was his partner for the heist and Edward<br />

was told that his partner would be joining him later on.<br />

I called Esme earlier to have her pick up the outfits for everyone and she was on<br />

her way right now. When Esme came over to pick up the outfits, she stopped at the<br />

door.<br />

"Bella dear, why does Carlisle think that I will be going as his partner for the<br />

heist?"<br />

"Oh, that's simple. He can't know that you're going to be part of the heist<br />

operation."<br />

"So, I will be leaving with him on the day of the heist?"<br />

"Yep. It's up to you to use your spy skills to lose him at some point. Since you<br />

know the trap doors, it won't be so hard for you."<br />

"All right Bella. Uh, I do have one question."<br />

"Shoot."<br />

"Why did you make it so that the invitations exploded darling? I mean, you caused<br />

havoc in my home."<br />

"Oh, the explosions only came if the person asked about it. Otherwise, they just<br />

disappeared when no one would be looking."<br />

- 198 -


"I would make you pay for the damages to my home but my children should have<br />

known better."<br />

"Well, I'll make sure to never give them anything explosive ever again."<br />

"Please. Have you got the videos?"<br />

"Yes, I'm making copies and editing right now. <strong>The</strong>ir expressions are hilarious<br />

Esme. I can't wait to show them."<br />

"I'm looking forward to it. I'll see you on Wednesday Bella."<br />

"See you in two days!" I yelled behind her. She giggled and turned back to me.<br />

"I'll be waiting!" she hollered and set off into the woods. I was making myself<br />

some waffles when the phone rang.<br />

"Pitufa's house of beauty, how may I help you?" I asked in a nasally voice.<br />

"I'd like the house special. Dye, wash, cut and blow dry."<br />

"What's up Moz?"<br />

"Nothing much except the best news of all time!"<br />

"Ooh, did you finally learn how to walk in heels?"<br />

"Shut up, and yes, I did. No, the news is that I have found a new heist and I could<br />

only think of one person that can help me pull it off."<br />

"Uh,Caffrey?"<br />

"Very funny Bell. No, I mean you."<br />

"Moz, I'm out of the con world remember?"<br />

"Oh come on," he pleaded, "I can't do this without you! This is one of those jobs<br />

you love to do! <strong>The</strong> smell of old jewelry and paintings, the laser beams, the high tech<br />

security systems! It even has a vault." He sing-songed.<br />

"Nope." I was sticking to one word answers because what I really wanted to ask<br />

was what kind of vault it was and what kind of security system it was.<br />

- 199 -


"It's a high tech security vault, with an hourly changing password, a retinal scan,<br />

and a hallway with traps. <strong>The</strong>re's also a laser that randomly shoots out from<br />

different points and a motion sensor on the floor. It's a hair trigger motion sensor so<br />

if an unlucky bug tries to fly in there, poof it goes."<br />

"If I could see you, I'd kill you."<br />

"Ha. I've been hearing some stuff about you, you know."<br />

"Oh yeah, like what?"<br />

"Oh nothing much besides how soft you've been getting. People don't tremble<br />

when they hear '<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>' anymore. <strong>The</strong>y all say 'Ah, they've quit. Why should we be<br />

afraid?' and I can't say I blame them. You've been doing so much teenager stuff that<br />

I bet you've gotten rusty."<br />

"You can't antagonize me into helping you out Moz. Nothing you say will work." I<br />

said smugly. I felt proud that I was able to get over Moz's taunting.<br />

"Not even if I tell you what I'm heisting?"<br />

"Not even then."<br />

"I got two words for you Bells, Eight Elvises."<br />

"Seriously Moz? You expect to steal a Warhol? That's so boring. "<br />

"I knew that'd get your attention."<br />

"<strong>The</strong> only thing that would make me consider your heist idea is if you said the<br />

words…"<br />

"A Wooded Path in Autumn" we said simultaneously. I paused for a while to make<br />

sense of what happened.<br />

"You didn't," I gasped.<br />

"I did," sang Moz.<br />

"Where? How? Where?" I yelled.<br />

"Calm down Bells. I found it after extensive searching and I knew I had to let you<br />

- 200 -


in on it. I was just going to take something else, "<br />

"And what would that be?"<br />

"Oh, nothing to worry your pretty little head about."<br />

"If you're holding out on more art, I'm gonna…"<br />

"All right, all right! Geez. It's a vintage ruby brooch for Trina and an antique<br />

sword for me."<br />

"Oh that sword that you've been eyeing ever since the Noodle Place?"<br />

"Yep. So what do you say, you in?" Moz asked eagerly. I looked around at my<br />

house and paced for a while. I had been itching to go on a real heist for a while but I<br />

had set down roots. I couldn't just leave when I felt like anymore. But I was still my<br />

own person! If they really loved me, they would understand.<br />

"Uh Bells?" Moz asked nervously.<br />

"Yeah?"<br />

"You're muttering again. Listen, if you really don't want to do it, it's OK. I<br />

understand. I shouldn't have guilted you into it. I'll just…"<br />

"I'll do it," I interrupted his babbling.<br />

"You will?"<br />

"Yep. Tell me when and where."<br />

"That's awesome Bella! I can't wait. I'll send you the information tomorrow. Bye!"<br />

he said excitedly.<br />

"Goodbye," I told the dial tone. I hung the phone back up and sat down on my<br />

counter. I felt excited but guilty. What had I just done?<br />

- Tuesday night!-<br />

CPOV<br />

"Thanks for the help on that emergency head wound ," a nurse yelled out as I<br />

- 201 -


walked by.<br />

"No problem, just remember to check on him hourly," I intoned back to her. A<br />

door swung open and was about to hit me but I ducked out of the way in time. Thank<br />

goodness for fast vampire reflexes. <strong>The</strong> other person was not so lucky.<br />

"AUGH!" screamed a feminine voice and a flurry of papers flew out of her hands. I<br />

knelt down and helped her gather the papers as a group of surgeons walked by<br />

uncaringly.<br />

"Jerks," muttered the nurse from the floor as she stuffed papers back into the<br />

folder. I chuckled and handed the papers back to her.<br />

"Surely not all doctors are insensitive clods." I asked her. She looked up startled<br />

and her cheeks flushed.<br />

"No, I didn't mean all doctors! I mean, some, sure, but not all. With the exception<br />

of those who like others, but not in a romantic way, it's…. I'm sorry, I'm babbling<br />

aren't I?" She asked as she stood up and piled the folders back into her arms.<br />

"Yes but it's quite alright. Here's the last of your papers, in the correct folders of<br />

course. You tell me if any of those jerks give you any problems and I'll straighten<br />

them out, deal?"<br />

"Uh, sure. Thanks Doctor." <strong>The</strong> young nurse said in awe as she collected the<br />

folders from my hand.<br />

Had she really been that bullied by doctors, I wondered. Yes, I decided, I had been<br />

around many hospitals and nurses were never appreciated as much as they should<br />

be.<br />

"No problem. And please, call me Carlisle."<br />

"All right Dr, Cul… I mean, Carlisle. Have a good night."<br />

"You have a good night as well Amber. I'll see you in two days ladies," I said to the<br />

other nurses as I signed charts and gathered my coat.<br />

I flashed a departing smile at the nurses at the station and a wave to the other<br />

doctors as I walked away.<br />

"Good grief, he's a hunk," I heard one of the night nurses say as she flapped a<br />

- 202 -


piece of paper.<br />

"And so nice," gushed the young nurse I had just helped.<br />

"Too bad he's happily married," grumbled Gladys, the RN that was always flirting.<br />

I always remembered to treat her as nice as the others but she thinks my intentions<br />

mean other things. Good thing that Esme set her straight once.<br />

I got into my car and unloosened my tie. I drove to my home, blasting Panic! At<br />

the Disco, courtesy of Edward. I don't know why I liked that one particular band so<br />

much, I just did. I strolled in to my home to find my home like it was before.<br />

I was not going to admit to Esme that I had had a moment of panic much like my<br />

children and ruined something as well. Instead of it being a bathroom, a closet or<br />

part of a forest, it was much smaller.<br />

Flashback!<br />

I had finished hearing Bella's message when in a joking manner; I asked where<br />

the explosion was. When the screen popped up with that message, I slapped my<br />

forehead and got to work. I grabbed an armful of sweaters, dumped a safe holding a<br />

few documents and valuables in it, threw the sweaters in the safe and stuffed the<br />

bomb in the middle of it all.<br />

I then proceeded to put it on the mattress and, for some convoluted reason, sit on<br />

it. <strong>The</strong> safe imploded and expanded from the inside and broke a few of the springs.<br />

It also managed to throw me in the air and I landed face first on the floor with a<br />

thump.<br />

I then got to work dumping the ruined safe and ordered some matching sweaters<br />

online, telling Esme that they all needed to be dry-cleaned.<br />

Flashback Over!<br />

I jogged up to my room with all the new sweaters and looked for some home<br />

clothes. I had finished putting the new sweaters away when I noticed a black outfit<br />

and a tool belt lying on the bed. I picked up the note and read it.<br />

Good luck, and have some fun with the new toys! It read. I picked up the outfit<br />

and examined each tool inside the belt.<br />

Should I try them out? I thought. I shook my head and proceeded to put the toys<br />

- 203 -


away but I kept battling the thoughts to try them out.<br />

"Go ahead and do it," I heard Edward say from his room.<br />

Is it me that you're referring to? I questioned him.<br />

"Yes, you Carlisle. Go on, have a good time."<br />

But I'm a grown man and the father figure of this household. I can't go around<br />

acting like… Emmett! No, I have responsibilities and I am going to act like an adult.<br />

I thought at him.<br />

"All right, but this is a once in a lifetime chance. Why not make the best of it?" he<br />

said slowly.<br />

I'll think about it, thank you Edward.<br />

"No problem at all Carlisle. Glad to help." He whispered as he passed by on his<br />

way downstairs.<br />

I took a long look at the clothes and made a split second decision.<br />

I dressed up in the outfit and did somersaults and rolls all over the room, playing<br />

with the grappling hook and the laser button. I also made a silly sign on the ceiling<br />

with my acid lip balm as I hung upside down with my antigravity shoes. I found that<br />

I had to concentrate a bit to keep myself on the ceiling, but I got the hang of it after<br />

a while.<br />

<strong>The</strong> door swung open and I heard a startled gasp. I arched my head back and fell<br />

down when I saw it was Esme.<br />

"CARLISLE! I expected this from the children but not from you! And what did you<br />

do to my ceiling!"<br />

<strong>The</strong> rest of the family rushed in behind her before I got a chance to explain and<br />

looked around the room with wonder. I looked back at my furious wife with a<br />

sheepish expression when I saw several flashes. I turned to see Jasper and Edward<br />

holding their phones up.<br />

"You're taking pictures?" I asked incredulously.<br />

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Edward said solemnly and he snapped<br />

- 204 -


another picture of my face.<br />

"I'm not taking any pictures Papa Bear," Emmett said with a grin on his face.<br />

"Thank you Emmett," I sighed, "I'm glad to know I can trust one of you with…"<br />

"I'm taking video footage of this!" he interrupted and held up a wine red<br />

camcorder. I slapped my forehead and sighed angrily.<br />

"Clean it up. Now." Esme growled and stalked out of the room, parting the<br />

children in her wake. <strong>The</strong> others looked after her for a while and then turned their<br />

heads back to me, expectantly.<br />

"So," I said awkwardly, "Anyone ready for tomorrow's heist?"<br />

"Shoosh yeah! But none more excited than you apparently," said Jasper as he<br />

pointed to my various works of attempted art.<br />

"CC+EC? Classy Carlisle. I don't know how Esme will react to that when she finds<br />

out about us." Emmett grinned over my way.<br />

"Shut up Emmett." Edward said.<br />

"Thanks son."<br />

"He's obviously talking about me, aren't you Carly-poo" Edward winked at me. <strong>The</strong><br />

girls burst into laughter as Emmett got a dignified look on his face.<br />

"Nuh uh! Tell him what those initials really mean Carlisle!"<br />

"It means there's too many damn 'E' names in this house," I muttered.<br />

"All right, let's leave Carlisle to his grade school redecorating," Alice chuckled as<br />

she herded the others out of my room. I gave her a grateful look and sank down on<br />

my bed. As I looked around at my handiwork, I only had one thought.<br />

"What was I thinking?"<br />

I realized too late that it was aloud and I heard muffled laughter from everyone in<br />

the house, including my annoyed wife.<br />

Here's Carlisle, just as someone asked me to do! I liked doing his POV. It<br />

- 205 -


was kinda calming in a way. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter!<br />

- 206 -


Heist: Part 1<br />

Hello there my peoples. This here is one of two Heist chapters. Enjoy a few<br />

POVs!<br />

I'll be back later at another time with some other POVs.<br />

Thanks to crazyperson17, alsin, LHNT (Thanks!) kawaiigrlmari, and<br />

snoopykid.<br />

I want to personally thank<br />

kawaiigrlmari<br />

for giving me the idea to give Bella a real heist. You rock!<br />

Carry on!<br />

EPOV<br />

It was finally time for the heist. I dressed up in the outfit that my Bella had picked<br />

for me and jumped out of my window as soon as the clock struck 2.<br />

I ran a bit through the forest and looked down at the address I needed to get to. I<br />

also made sure to take Bella's advice on the note and find different ways to get there<br />

besides running.<br />

I ran to the highway at the edge of the forest and waited for the perfect<br />

opportunity. I sat on a high branch in a tree for 10 minutes until the perfect truck<br />

came by. I waited until it was directly under me and then I threw myself into the bed<br />

of the truck.<br />

I snuck under the tarp and hid myself in the trees in the back of the truck so that<br />

other drivers wouldn't see me. I rode in the car a long time until I saw felt the truck<br />

going into a turnoff. I jumped out as soon as I saw an opportunity and hid myself in<br />

the trees again. I had about thirty more miles to go.<br />

I walked around until I saw a nearby biker bar. I waited until everyone in the bar<br />

was distracted, ran to the chain of motorcycles, lifted one up and threw it into the<br />

- 207 -


woods. I ran toward where I threw it and caught right before it smashed into the<br />

ground.<br />

"That was a close one" I muttered and I started it up.<br />

Before I left, I heard someone groan out loud and complain about his bike being<br />

stolen again.<br />

"Can't catch a break, huh Petey?" someone asked the upset man.<br />

"First the little brunette girl from the airport and now this. Soon, I won't have any<br />

bikes." <strong>The</strong> man grumbled and headed back inside.<br />

I shrugged and drove along until I got about three miles away from the place. I<br />

left the bike at a nearby gas station and I ran the rest of the way to the building.<br />

When I arrived, I saw a broken down building that looked ready to collapse.<br />

"Why here Bella?" I asked myself as I trudged up to the back entrance. I opened<br />

the door and walked into the dimly lit room. When I stepped in all the way, the door<br />

slammed shut behind me and a blue light flickered on above.<br />

"Whoa," I breathed as I looked around. <strong>The</strong> room looked really high tech and more<br />

cleaned up than I thought it would. I turned toward the door and saw a message<br />

written on it. <strong>The</strong> message read Enjoy your drink as you await the arrival of your<br />

partner.<br />

I sat down on the chair and picked up the cup next to me. I put it under my nose<br />

and took a whiff.<br />

"Mountain Lion?" I asked myself. I don't know how she did it but I was glad. I<br />

cautiously took a sip and sighed happily. I could get used to this.<br />

Now, all I have to do is wait for my partner.<br />

CPOV<br />

I was down in the dining room waiting for Esme to finish dressing.<br />

"That's twelve!" squealed Emmett and he proceeded to take half of the cards laid<br />

down on the table. I was about to put down a card when we heard a yell and a<br />

muffled thump. Emmett and I watched in amusement as Jasper hopped down the<br />

- 208 -


stairs trying to put his shoe on.<br />

"Jeez, it doesn't always have to match," he muttered as he plopped down on one of<br />

the chairs in between us.<br />

"Dressing issues?" asked Emmett as we dealt Jasper in.<br />

"Yeah, I don't understand why Alice has to find the 'perfect' accessory for her<br />

outfit. Just take what Bella gave us and be done already!" He vented as we played<br />

another round. We both chuckled at his frustration and settled into silence.<br />

"I don't see why girls have to take so long to get dressed," I piped in after a while.<br />

"It's so that we can look great," Alice commented as she flew down the stairs.<br />

Jasper got up and left with her as Rosalie walked down the stairs while trying to put<br />

on an earring.<br />

"Well, see you later old man" winked Emmett as he walked out with Rosalie.<br />

"I'm not old!" I shouted and waved at Rosalie who smacked her husband. I started<br />

cleaning up the cards when I heard Esme come down.<br />

"That's it?" I asked her. She looked down at her clothes and back at me.<br />

"What do you mean?"<br />

"I mean, we get all these gadgets and you just show up with nothing but the<br />

clothes?"<br />

"Oh! I have them hidden. Don't worry about it honey, you'll see soon," She<br />

reassured me. I looked at her skeptically but followed her out the door. We hitched<br />

in a truck carrying a bunch of cars and settled in until our turn off came.<br />

"I liked my Ferrari," I pouted as I watched the truck drive off.<br />

"Don't worry honey, we'll get one after this."<br />

We set off toward the direction of the building. Usually, Esme likes to examine<br />

some of the wildlife when we go out hunting and his time was no different. Within<br />

seconds, Esme had dropped behind me looking at exotic flora that she had not seen<br />

before.<br />

- 209 -


"Hurry Esme, we don't have much time sweetheart." I said a bit impatiently. I had<br />

not minded the first seven times but now, I was starting to lose it.<br />

"Oh just go on without me Carlisle dear, I'll catch up" she answered sweetly. I<br />

swear she was trying to get rid of me.<br />

"Esme, I won't leave you behind" I answered firmly. She kept trying to get me to<br />

go ahead but I didn't want to start without her. Her eyes flickered with something<br />

and she sped up toward me.<br />

We walked through the broken gates toward the building entrance. I opened the<br />

door and got the shock of my life.<br />

"Wow. It looks so different in here from the outside" I awed as I looked around the<br />

high tech lobby of the building.<br />

"I thought so too" Esme agreed with me. Something in her sentence struck me as<br />

odd.<br />

"What do you mean you thought? Have you been here before?"<br />

"No" she backtracked, "I meant I thought so too when we first stepped in here. I'm<br />

more focused on the mission here and I misspoke."<br />

I gazed at her for a while and turned back to the room.<br />

"Ok, I think we can find a way to go where we're supposed to be but we have to<br />

tread carefully. Which way should we go Esme?" I turned but she wasn't there. I<br />

called for her again but then the floor went out from underneath me.<br />

I landed hard on my bottom in a dark room with a blue light.<br />

"Carlisle?" I heard a voice ask.<br />

"Edward?" I asked back as I stood and dusted myself off.<br />

"Yeah, it's me. I guess you're my partner."<br />

"I must be. How did you get here?"<br />

"Oh, I walked in through a back entrance. And you?"<br />

- 210 -


"I came with Esme but she disappeared. When I turned to look for her, the floor<br />

went out from underneath me and I ended up here."<br />

"Oh, that screaming was you?" Edward asked with a chuckle.<br />

"Yes, who did you think it was?"<br />

"Maybe a child who dropped their popsicle." He snickered.<br />

"Oh, shut up. Let's go to the first mission."<br />

"Or maybe a broken air raid horn." Edward yelled out as I walked ahead of him.<br />

"I'm going to duct tape your mouth."<br />

"Oh, oh! I know! A dying animal!"<br />

I grumbled at his laughter and went to our heist room.<br />

EsmePOV<br />

I was looking around for any way to escape Carlisle when something dropped on<br />

my shoulders, covered my mouth, and we dropped into another hole.<br />

We both fell into another room and Bella hopped off my shoulders.<br />

"Oh that was you? Thank you so much! I was wondering how I would get away<br />

from Carlisle."<br />

"I noticed," she chuckled as she took a seat in front o a large computer screen. "I<br />

saw your sneaking attempts on the screen and finally decided to help you out."<br />

"I thought I would have to keep making up excuses on how beautiful the tree bark<br />

was."<br />

"I liked when you went into a discussion on how that particular tree bark was<br />

browner than the others and you had to collect samples" Bella laughed as she typed<br />

in commands on another screen.<br />

"Laugh it up dear," I commented drily. "What am I doing?"<br />

"Oh, your assignment is to take care of Group A and B. I'll do the group transitions<br />

- 211 -


and group C."<br />

"Group C wouldn't happen to be the one with Edward, would it?" I teased. I<br />

watched Bella's face flush red in the reflection of her computer.<br />

"No, it has other people as well."<br />

I smiled to myself and set to work on activating the traps for Rosalie, Emmett,<br />

Alice and Jasper. After half an hour, all three groups were getting closer to their<br />

item.<br />

"I have team A and B working to their item. Team A seems to be struggling but<br />

Team B is just a few steps away." I reported to Bella.<br />

"Team C is looking good…"<br />

"I bet they are" I snickered but Bella shot me a glare.<br />

"BUT, they're having problems with one trap."<br />

"That's all right Bella, Team A just got stuck in a trap." Alice was on the screen<br />

screaming for Jasper to get her right side up again as Jasper struggled to get<br />

through the metal obstacle without chopping off a limb. He had already reattached<br />

his fingers four times and he was taking it more carefully now.<br />

Emmett was busy trying to time his jumps right on a random bow trap while<br />

Rosalie held on to a bar over a vat of tar. Emmett only had to punch the button to let<br />

Rosalie down, but he kept getting clipped by arrows.<br />

"What's the status on Team C?"<br />

"Edward's trying to figure out the lock combination and Carlisle's trying to deflect<br />

the darts with a vase."<br />

We both chuckled at the antics of my family for a bit.<br />

"Team A just got the item. Jasper is freaking out and thanking you through the<br />

wall."<br />

"I knew he'd like it."<br />

"How'd you know it was the sword he wanted?"<br />

- 212 -


"One can only take so much historical books."<br />

"True. Oh, Team B just cracked their safe open. Well, Emmett cracked it open. I<br />

knew he was always hardheaded."<br />

"He broke through the metal with his head? That's not supposed to be possible! I<br />

specially designed that safe!"<br />

I tried to apologize to Bella but she just waved it off, saying it wasn't my fault that<br />

Emmett had a supernatural hard skull.<br />

"Oh, Team C just got through their safe. Aw, thanks Carlisle!"<br />

"What did he thank you for?"<br />

"I got him a little kit of roman surgical tools. Vintage and all that. Thought he'd<br />

like it."<br />

"You thought correct. OK, time for switching?" I asked Bella.<br />

"Yep. Are they in position?"<br />

"Yes dear."<br />

"Commencing in 3…2…1."<br />

JPOV<br />

I was freaking out at the vintage sword I had once showed Bella when I felt Alice<br />

feeling scared. Before I could turn to her so I could grab her, she fell out of sight<br />

and the place where she dropped closed up. I dropped to my knees over the spot<br />

where she fell in desperation and punched it as hard as I could without even making<br />

a dent.<br />

Suddenly, I heard a sound above my head and before I could look up, something<br />

heavy fell on top of me.<br />

"WAA!" yelled a voice and I got flattened.<br />

"Whoa, that was creepy awesome!" the voice yelled again.<br />

"Emmett?" I groaned from underneath him.<br />

- 213 -


"Jasper? Hey buddy, how you doing?"<br />

"I'm not so good. Hey Em, do me a favor."<br />

"Sure, anything."<br />

"Get off me."<br />

"Oh right, sorry" Emmett chuckled sheepishly. He got to his feet and then hauled<br />

me up by my collar.<br />

"Thanks. Now, where do you suppose we go?" I asked him as I dusted off my shirt.<br />

"Well, we could find out. <strong>The</strong>re's a note right there." Emmett walked over to the<br />

wall where a note was on a ledge that hadn't been there before. He picked the note<br />

up and the ledge disappeared inside the wall.<br />

"Weird," Emmett commented and he turned to read the note. "Solve this riddle so<br />

the door can show you the way."<br />

"What's the riddle?"<br />

"Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one. Michael J. fox has a small one. Madonna<br />

doesn't have one. <strong>The</strong> pope has one but he never uses it. Bill Clinton has one and he<br />

uses it all the time! What is it?"<br />

"Oh! I know what it is!" Emmett shouted. I had an idea but I wasn't sure what it<br />

was.<br />

"What would that be?" I asked warily. Before Emmett answered, he looked down<br />

quickly but I cut him off.<br />

"It is not that."<br />

"Oh. Well than I have no idea. Wait, wait. How do you know that isn't the answer?<br />

I mean, it could be. "<br />

"I'll make you a deal. If I answer wrong, you say your answer and we'll call it<br />

even."<br />

"Deal."<br />

- 214 -


I faced the door, at least I think it was, and said the answer aloud.<br />

"A surname." I anxiously waited to see if anything happened and right as Emmett<br />

was about to laugh, the door raised and lit the way down a corridor.<br />

"Oh man" Emmett groaned and hung his head down as he walked in the hallway. I<br />

gave him a smug smile as he passed and followed behind him. We walked until we<br />

got to a door with a J and an E on it.<br />

"Someone's been expecting us" Emmett said in a creepy voice. I shoved him and<br />

cautiously reached toward the door. Emmett gave me a confused look and got a<br />

little impatient.<br />

"Dude, you're so slow! It's just a…AAH!" he screamed as he touched the knob.<br />

Emmett crumpled to the floor and I knelt next to him.<br />

"I was going slowly for a reason Em," I told him as he started coming to. He<br />

groaned and rolled over to his side.<br />

"What was that?" he moaned as he sat up.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> door's electrocuted, didn't you know that?"<br />

"NO! Rose and I just went in without any of this freaky shocking business!"<br />

"Oh. Well, Alice and I each kept getting shocked until we figured it out. <strong>The</strong> trick<br />

is to go at it at a constant slow speed and turning it as slowly as you can."<br />

"Would have been great for you to tell me before I went and got charbroiled."<br />

"Puh-lease. You hardly smell well cooked. Now that the door's open, shall we<br />

proceed into the room?"<br />

"After you partner," Emmett said irritated. I shrugged and went in before him. I<br />

surveyed the layout of this strange jungle themed room and turned to look at<br />

Emmett. He seemed to be very concentrated in the room as well so I decided to take<br />

initiative and step out first.<br />

"I wouldn't do that " advised Emmett as I continued to walk carefully across the<br />

green shag carpet.<br />

"And why not?"<br />

- 215 -


"Because I have a feeling that something's going to pop out any second."<br />

"Riiight." I drawled as I continued walking. I took another step and something<br />

under my foot shifted.<br />

"Uh oh."<br />

"What Uh oh? What do you mean? What did you do?" Emmett freaked out and<br />

started whipping his head everywhere for a threat. I tried to calm him but honestly,<br />

I was freaking out a little too.<br />

"Look Emmett, nothing's moving, shooting, or exploding. We're fine," I reassured<br />

after a few minutes passed. Emmett took a deep breath and I started to move again,<br />

slower just in case I was wrong about the trap. Every few seconds, Emmett would<br />

make a noise or shout for me to watch my step.<br />

"Good gravy, be careful!" Emmett shouted.<br />

"For the love of God Emmett, shut up!" I bellowed.<br />

"No Jasper, look!" he insisted. I turned my head to where he was pointing and got<br />

a shock. <strong>The</strong>re were little lumps forming under the carpet that made whirring<br />

noises. More lumps were popping up all over the floor and I sucked in a breath.<br />

"What is that?" I whispered.<br />

"I have no idea but whatever it is, it sounds evi… Oh look! Baby turtles!" Emmett<br />

cooed after the first one popped out. I took a closer look at them and shook my head.<br />

"Uh, I don't know about this Em. This seems a little fishy to me."<br />

"What could be so vicious about little baby turtles?" he asked as he stroked the<br />

back of the one he picked up.<br />

"I don't know yet but keep an eye on it."<br />

"Aye aye Jasper." Emmett saluted and started making baby talk with the turtles.<br />

This time, I went slower than before on the carpet, making sure to maneuver around<br />

the razor sharp fake vines that dropped out of nowhere and ducking when fake<br />

snakes dropped out. I thought the rubber snakes were harmless until the first one<br />

exploded in my face. It wasn't enough to harm me but it disoriented me for a bit.<br />

- 216 -


Emmett started cracking up after that happened and he would alternate between<br />

making random exploding noises and faking that the turtles were harming him. He<br />

knew I still didn't trust the turtles and he scoffed at my idea that nothing in these<br />

heists should be considered harmless.<br />

"Why do you believe the turtles are harmless? <strong>The</strong>y're here for a reason and I<br />

don't think we should underestimate them" I told Emmett as we were cracking the<br />

safe where the next item was.<br />

We were using a keypad that required a five digit code. <strong>The</strong>n, we needed to use<br />

our lock picking kit to lift up the five pins and keep them up at the same time so the<br />

safe could open. It was harder to do than it sounded.<br />

"Maybe Bella just wanted us to have some fun" Emmett shrugged as he lifted the<br />

fourth pin. He reached up to pet his new friend, whom he named Koopa, but<br />

knocked his lock pick which caused all the pins to fall again. We groaned and I<br />

pushed him out of the way. After a few tries, I managed to get all five pins up and<br />

unlock the safe.<br />

"Success!" Emmett yelled, throwing his hands up in victory. I sighed in relief and<br />

opened the safe. I reached in and took out a covered bundle that said Fragile.<br />

"What is it?"<br />

"I think it's a jar. Hold on, let me uncover it." I peeled back the dusty wrapping<br />

and held up the jar of…<br />

"Leeches? Oh my gosh, that's like, the funniest prank ever! Who's it for?" Emmett<br />

laughed as he turned the jar over carefully in his massive hands.<br />

"How is it a funny prank?"<br />

"Because we're vampires… holding a jar that used to be full of blood sucking<br />

creatures… it's, oh forget it. You're so drab."<br />

I looked in the safe again for a note and then noticed a blue light showing part of a<br />

word in the back of the safe. I shined the light and saw Emmett's name scribbled in<br />

Bella's writing.<br />

"Well good news Emmett, it's yours."<br />

"Whoot!" he yelled and put the jar in his pack. As soon as the jar went in,<br />

- 217 -


something weird happened with Koopa.<br />

"Emmett, what's wrong with your turtle friend?"<br />

"I don't know. Koopa, speak to me buddy, what's wrong?"<br />

We found what was wrong, all right.<br />

Koopa retreated back into its shell and turned into a ball. When he popped back<br />

out, he wasn't so cute and cuddly anymore. Koopa protruded spikes all over his<br />

shell, grew sharp claws and had razor sharp teeth in his mouth. Emmett dropped the<br />

turtle and backed away as we saw the other turtles morph into killer animals.<br />

"Koopa, how could you? You turned into… into… Bowser!"<br />

"Emmett would you stop with all the Super Mario references?"<br />

"So-rry, it's not every day that I feel betrayed. What do we do Jasper?"<br />

"I don't know. Try to find a weakness?"<br />

"Got it" he nodded and grabbed one as it jumped toward our faces. I grabbed<br />

another flying turtle and tried to hit it at different points so I could find a weakness.<br />

After getting clocked on the head by five other turtles and having three gnawing on<br />

my shirt, I found the weak spot.<br />

"Yes!" I exulted and then turned to Emmett who was on the ground, batting some<br />

away with his acid lip balm. "Emmett, it'll come apart if you press it on its neck<br />

under the chin."<br />

Emmett nodded and chopped turtles as fast as he could while trying to stand.<br />

"Jasper, if you knock the shell at a 40 degree angle while holding the head in the<br />

opposite direction at 20 degrees, the shell pops off and there's a button."<br />

"How did you even know that?"<br />

"Lucky timing."<br />

"No, I mean the angles and the force to pop the shell off" I cleared up as I broke<br />

apart four turtles.<br />

- 218 -


"Oh that. Well, I've always been interested in math, physics and aerodynamics.<br />

How do you think I pulled off that prank with Alice's clothes so successfully?"<br />

"I don't know. I sort of figured it just came" I grunted as another turtle attacked<br />

me, "naturally to you. But now, it sort of makes more sense. Alice still can't find that<br />

suitcase full of blouses."<br />

"Oh I remember that!" Emmett chuckled. "Well, if my measurements were correct,<br />

they would have landed somewhere in the backwoods of Yellowstone National Park."<br />

"It's in Wyoming? Alice will not be pleased when she gets wind of this" I huffed as<br />

I took apart three of the last seven killer turtles.<br />

"Which is why we must never tell her" Emmett spoke slowly as he grabbed my<br />

collar. I nodded hesitantly, the first time I was ever frightened by Emmett. I wasn't<br />

full out scared but he got me to see a different side of him.<br />

We finished the last turtle together and looked around at all the damage we did.<br />

We turned to give each other a triumphant high five when I was sucked upwards<br />

through the ceiling.<br />

"I'm getting tired of this" I muttered as I flew to my new destination.<br />

Oh, I liked team Emmett and Jasper! I liked the name he gave for his new<br />

turtle friend. Anyway, I'll be off, writing more POVs for you guys and trying<br />

to crack you up at your houses. At least I hope I am.<br />

I won't be posting up the things they stole until I've written everyone's<br />

POVs. SO don't fret peoples. I'll get to it sometime.<br />

- 219 -


Heist: Part 2<br />

Well hey there! You must REALLY hate me.<br />

I know it's been a while but I have an excuse! I recently came back from a<br />

Habitat for Humanity trip. It was fun and a week long. Now, classes have<br />

started and I'm trying to get As in everything. That means a lot of reading,<br />

writing, and homework.<br />

I'll try to work on this story as much as I can but it'll probably be a slow<br />

process.<br />

Thanks to everyone who's been patient with me! I love you guys!<br />

Read on!<br />

BPOV<br />

"All right, Jasper's been sucked into the portal. Everyone else is now set to go. "<br />

"Rosalie's arrived to her new partner and Emmett is now stuck with Alice."<br />

"Oh man, I can't wait to see what happens if Alice ever got the memo about what<br />

happened to her clothes."<br />

"It's sure to be a bloodbath. No one's told her what happened to her clothes."<br />

"Everybody else knows what happened?"<br />

"Yes dear, everyone but Jasper. We took alternate trips after Emmett revealed<br />

where he thought her clothes fell. I was the first to find that some of the woodland<br />

animals took it as padding for their homes."<br />

"Wow. I feel for her but why would Alice still be mad? "<br />

"How do you mean?"<br />

"Well, she likes clothes but they got blasted away. <strong>The</strong> upside was that she got to<br />

buy new ones which was what she was going to do anyway. Alice doesn't strike me<br />

- 220 -


as the kind to wear the same thing."<br />

"Hmm. You're right Bella, we never thought of it that way. Maybe this will teach<br />

them to let bygones be bygones."<br />

"Well, here's hoping anyway."<br />

Esme nodded and turned her attention to the screen. Take three for the teams.<br />

RPOV<br />

I was traveling through a tube; much like the one I suspected Emmett went<br />

through, when I landed in a chair.<br />

"Rosalie!" I heard Carlisle exclaim. I whipped my head around to see him standing<br />

up from the floor.<br />

"You landed on the floor?" I winced as he stretched out his arms and loosened up.<br />

"Yes, but I'm fine" he waved me off.<br />

"Did Bella position your landing wrong?" I asked but Carlisle shook his head.<br />

"Nope, I just didn't know how the landing tubes worked. Edward was taken from<br />

me via tube and Alice landed in his place. I thought we were supposed to stop right<br />

before being dropped out but I miscalculated."<br />

"You tried to grab the end of the tube, didn't you?"<br />

"Yes. Yes I did. I was horribly wrong and my poor bum has to pay for it now." He<br />

said sadly as he turned to stare at his rump. I giggled at his face and then motioned<br />

for us to go on.<br />

We walked over to a door that looked like a cave.<br />

"Whoa, that's very elaborate" I breathed.<br />

"You should have seen the one Alice and I had. It was a winter wonderland. I don't<br />

know how Bella got all that snow and those devilish little penguins there."<br />

"Penguins?"<br />

- 221 -


"Don't underestimate the little tuxedoed birds like Alice did."<br />

"Oh. Well Edward and I had a fight with an octopus."<br />

"An octopus?"<br />

"Yes. Half the room was filled with water. <strong>The</strong>re were stingrays, sharks, and one<br />

octopus. We should have been keeping track of that octopus. It about tore us to<br />

shreds, it even got Edward five times."<br />

"Ooh." Carlisle flinched. We headed inside the cave and looked around. <strong>The</strong> cave<br />

ceiling had an odd shape to it but we thought nothing of it.<br />

We should have paid more attention.<br />

"Ow" Carlisle yelped as he took a step forward.<br />

"What is it?" I asked frantically. I hoped he didn't get hurt too bad because Esme<br />

would slaughter me.<br />

"I got hit by a laser but I don't know where it came from." I looked around when I<br />

felt a sharp sting on my forehead. I looked down and saw that my shirt had a few red<br />

dots on it. it was coming from the direction of the ceiling and when I looked closer, I<br />

saw what it was.<br />

"Um, Carlisle? We've got company." I pointed. He looked up slowly and saw what I<br />

meant. Bats. About 40 of them and they all had beaming red eyes that were locked<br />

onto me and Carlisle's still forms.<br />

"I think they're motion sensor bats" I whispered to Carlisle.<br />

"How will we ever get out of this predicament? Those beams really sting. I also<br />

have a theory that the longer we move, the more dangerous those beams will be<br />

toward us."<br />

"So, what will we do?" I asked him. He stayed still and the bats went back to sleep<br />

mode.<br />

"I have an idea!" Carlisle whispered excitedly. He dug into his pocket as slowly as<br />

he could without making too much movement and pulled out a pack of marbles.<br />

"Where did you get that from?"<br />

- 222 -


"Uh, Alice and I were looking around and some marbles were dropped from the<br />

ceiling. We picked it up and decided to use it for later or something. Alice defeated<br />

the penguins with them in a single shot."<br />

"So how will they help us here?"<br />

"Watch." Carlisle took one marble and flicked it away from him. All the bats honed<br />

in on it and burst it into pieces as some of them moved toward the flying marble.<br />

When it disintegrated, the bats flew back to their resting place.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y all work unison" I realized. Carlisle smiled widely and made a noise of<br />

approval. He threw the marbles discreetly into the pocket I held open and nodded as<br />

soon as I had all of them.<br />

"Do you know the plan?"<br />

"Yep" I breathed at him.<br />

"All right then, let's rock and roll" he smiled over at me. I grinned back and we got<br />

into action. We both grabbed five marbles and were about to throw them when the<br />

ground started to rumble before us.<br />

"Ugh, what now?" I huffed as we tried to keep our ground. <strong>The</strong> floor cracked and<br />

fell to reveal the most cliché trap ever.<br />

"Lava Bella? Really? That's the best you could think of?" I sniped at the ceiling.<br />

"Now, now Rosalie. She's made a lot of new things that neither you nor I have<br />

ever seen before. It is all right to mix up some new stuff with old things we are<br />

familiar with. I think that the bats can challenge us with the lava."<br />

"I just thought Bella would have more unexpected things. I was rooting for her the<br />

entire time when she made the course and it just feels like a letdown."<br />

"Well, let's go on and find out what we need to take. <strong>The</strong>n, we can get our new<br />

partners."<br />

"Ok" I agreed and threw a few marbles out near the lava. Just as expected, the<br />

bats split up and followed the marbles, shooting at them with their lasers. Carlisle<br />

and I took the distraction to jump to the rocks floating above the lava.<br />

We kept this process up until we got to the middle of the lava river. Suddenly, a<br />

- 223 -


waterfall of lava poured down from the ceiling before we could jump to the rocks in<br />

front of us. I had been ready to jump and Carlisle had to grab the back of my belt so<br />

that I wouldn't slam into the wall of lava. I was literally an inch away from it.<br />

"That was a close one" Carlisle commented as he pulled me back again. I turned to<br />

look at him and saw that he was stifling a laugh.<br />

"What?"<br />

"Nothing. I guess you got the unexpected huh?"<br />

"Yeah, yeah. Bella totally one-upped me. Ha ha."<br />

"Yes and it seems that she's given you a new hairstyle as well" he chuckled. I<br />

looked up and saw that my hair was still smoldering. Carlisle put his cold hand on it<br />

and it stopped smoking.<br />

"She totally owes me a new hairstyle" I grumbled as we turned toward the lava<br />

wall again. We stood for a few moments, trying to time it when I figured it out.<br />

"Carlisle, it goes down in odd numbers. It waits nine seconds, then seven, and<br />

then five. <strong>The</strong>n it goes back to seven, and then nine again and it repeats."<br />

"Good work Rosalie, I knew those mathematical theory books weren't just for<br />

decoration" he praised me. I ducked my head down, embarrassed and went to jump<br />

through the wall while simultaneously throwing marbles for the bats. I miscalculated<br />

where the rock was on the other side and had to use one of the bats as a stepping<br />

stool.<br />

"Good save Rosalie!" Carlisle shouted from the other side.<br />

"Thanks!" I shouted "Now it's your turn to go through Carlisle. <strong>The</strong>re's a rock at<br />

your 1 o' clock."<br />

Carlisle threw the marbles and jumped through the lava wall. He over jumped a<br />

bit and almost got himself thrown in the lava but I jumped to his rock on time and<br />

pulled him up.<br />

"Thank you dear," Carlisle sighed and turned to give me a smile.<br />

"No problem old man."<br />

- 224 -


"I already told you children I am not old!" he shouted as I jumped to the next rock.<br />

I laughed and did a few flips, sticking out my tongue at him when I faced him again,<br />

and got to the safe.<br />

Before I got to open the safe, I studied how to approach it.<br />

"Everything all right Rosalie?" Carlisle asked, brushing off bits of smoldering ash<br />

that clung to his sweater.<br />

"Yeah, I just don't remember which safe this is. <strong>The</strong>y all look so similar!" I huffed,<br />

frustrated.<br />

"Well," Carlisle said as he got to his knees and put his ear to it, "If I'm not<br />

mistaken, this may be the Swedish 4500, with glass locking mechanism and 7 pin<br />

lock."<br />

"How'd you know?" I asked awed.<br />

"Oh, quite simple. I got in tune with every safe I memorized, remembering how<br />

many times it locks down before we get the correct combination."<br />

"Whoa."<br />

"Yes my dear. That, and the name is on the side." He pointed out. I whipped my<br />

head to where he pointed and smacked him on the shoulder.<br />

"Hilarious Carlisle."<br />

"Just showing you that even older people have still got it," he gloated, a smug<br />

smile on his face.<br />

"Yeah yeah, let's just crack the safe."<br />

"All right, this one cannot be opened by hearing because every click sounds<br />

virtually identical; it took me hours to even try to crack it. I figured out that we have<br />

to do it by touch but it has to be very slowly."<br />

Carlisle spread his hands on the side of the safe and directed me to put my hands<br />

on either side of the safe. Within minutes, we were both frustrated and arguing with<br />

each other.<br />

"It was definitely 12, Rosalie."<br />

- 225 -


"I distinctly remember it being 17, Carlisle."<br />

"I was the one who turned the knob. I felt it Rosalie," Carlisle tried to say civilly.<br />

"Well you felt wrong" I sniffed. He huffed and ran a hand through his hair, tugging<br />

at the ends of them.<br />

"Look, I know what I felt and it was most definitely a 12."<br />

"No it wasn't!"<br />

"Why do you have to be so hardheaded?" he shouted suddenly. He covered his<br />

mouth as soon as he said it and had an apologetic look on his face.<br />

"At least I'm not a perfectionist!" I shouted when I got over the shock. Carlisle<br />

looked outraged and set his face in a frown.<br />

"I am not!"<br />

"Yes you are, you overachiever!"<br />

"Stubborn!"<br />

"Old timer!"<br />

"Airhead!" he yelled back.<br />

He took a deep breath and held his arms up. "We both got out of line there<br />

Rosalie, I'm sorry for calling you those ugly names. How about this, we'll both try<br />

out the combinations with the numbers and the one who's correct has to apologize.<br />

Deal?"<br />

"Deal," I agreed and shook his hand. We both set our hands on the safe again,<br />

with me turning the knob this time. We used both the numbers and realized<br />

something important.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y're both wrong" I announced to Carlisle. He groaned and we set to work<br />

finding the last number. It took us a while but we finally found it. I heard the click of<br />

the safe and looked up at Carlisle. He smiled back at me and motioned for me to<br />

open the safe. I sighed and pulled open the safe door slowly.<br />

"Um, Rosalie? Can you go any faster?"<br />

- 226 -


"Well, the safe exploded last time when I was with Emmett and it squirted ink<br />

when I was with Edward. I won't take any more chances by opening it quickly."<br />

"That explains the blue" mused Carlisle as he looked at my head. I rolled my eyes<br />

and finally got the safe open.<br />

<strong>The</strong> items were just sitting there and I retrieved them carefully, giving Carlisle an<br />

old looking contraption and taking a small car part that looked ancient.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> first stethoscope? Oh my gosh, thank you Bella! It may not be in perfect<br />

condition but I really don't mind!"<br />

I snickered at Carlisle gushing over the piece and looked over mine.<br />

"A piece of the first racecar ever invented? AAH!" I squealed at the walls. Carlisle<br />

looked smug as he saw me freaking out over my own personal treasure. I stuck my<br />

tongue out at him and carefully put it in one of my pockets.<br />

"What now?" I asked Carlisle as he finished putting his piece away.<br />

He looked back up at me and shrugged. He was about to say something when the<br />

rocks beneath him catapulted him toward the lava so fast, I didn't even have time to<br />

react.<br />

"Rosalie! Help!" he yelled as he soared through the air. I was running toward him<br />

as fast as I could before bats swarmed all over me and took me away from him. <strong>The</strong><br />

last thing I saw was Carlisle disappearing underneath orange, glowing lava.<br />

EmmettPOV (Way too many E names.)<br />

I was grabbed from the side of the wall, away from Alice and got thrust outside.<br />

"Whoa! I came from a tree!"<br />

I was looking around for any sign of my partner when the ground opened up and<br />

smoke came out from it. Out of the smoke, Carlisle emerged, screaming his head off<br />

and hugging himself tightly in a fetal position.<br />

"Daddy!" I yelled and ran over to him. He heard my voice and popped his head up.<br />

"Emmett?" he asked confused.<br />

- 227 -


"Sure is Daddy-o."<br />

"Where am I?"<br />

"Outside."<br />

"Thanks for those words of wisdom" he deadpanned at me. He looked down at his<br />

body and started patting himself down.<br />

"Do I need to leave you and your pants alone for a moment?" I questioned him<br />

jokingly.<br />

"No Emmett, I just got thrown into lava and I'm relieved to find that I'm still in one<br />

piece."<br />

"Whoa, lava?"<br />

"Yes. Well, now that I'm still whole, would you like to go on?"<br />

"Sure, lead the way," I motioned toward the woods. Carlisle hesitated and looked<br />

at me with troubled eyes.<br />

"I would if I had any idea where we're supposed to go," he admitted sheepishly. I<br />

admitted that I didn't know the next step either and we both sat under a tree,<br />

defeated. We were both wondering how we were going to get the next clue when an<br />

acorn fell in the space between us.<br />

This was no ordinary acorn though; it was a mechanical acorn that opened as soon<br />

as Carlisle picked it up.<br />

A note popped up as soon as the little machine stopped whirring and inside, it<br />

read that we had to travel back home via…<br />

"Skydiving?" shrieked Carlisle when he read the last word.<br />

"Whoa. I've never done that before."<br />

"I wouldn't have liked now to start skydiving, or para-boating, or running on<br />

waves, or whatever it is that you kids call extreme sports these days."<br />

"Calm down Carlisle, skydiving isn't that bad."<br />

- 228 -


"Oh no? What does skydiving entail? I haven't really taken interest in recreational<br />

activities of this century much."<br />

"Well, all you have to do is take a plane ride."<br />

"Really? That doesn't sound so bad" Carlisle smiled at me.<br />

On the plane ride<br />

"Wow, everything looks so small from here! I'm so glad they issued these<br />

parachutes for us in case something goes wrong. Though we'd survive it" he added<br />

in a small whisper towards me. I nodded my head at him and looked anxiously<br />

toward the pilot.<br />

"Yeah, humans take safety really seriously," I chuckled awkwardly.<br />

"Well, better to be thorough than dead." I nodded at his words and looked toward<br />

the door. Carlisle hadn't noticed the different subtleties that this plane had from<br />

other planes and I was thankful for his naiveté.<br />

We rode for a while until the pilot turned back toward us and let his copilot steer<br />

the plane.<br />

"All right, this is where you boys get off!" yelled the pilot. Carlisle gave him a<br />

confused look and then nodded in understanding.<br />

"I get it!" he exclaimed, "You fly closer to another plane and we jump into it.<br />

That's why it's called skydiving! Clever."<br />

<strong>The</strong> pilot looked at him weirdly and shook his head.<br />

"He doesn't know what he's doing?" he asked me.<br />

"Well, it's best not to tell him." I replied.<br />

"I'm not comfortable with letting inexperienced divers jump by themselves. I was<br />

willing because you knew what to do as an experienced diver but I'm not okay with<br />

it anymore. I'm gonna have to jump with you guys."<br />

"NO!" I yelled, "I mean, no thanks! I'll just walk him through it."<br />

<strong>The</strong> pilot looked at me for a while but finally relented. He turned to open the door<br />

- 229 -


and faced back toward us.<br />

"Excuse me sir, but isn't that kind of dangerous?" Carlisle asked with a hint of<br />

panic in his voice. <strong>The</strong> pilot rolled his eyes and turned to face me.<br />

"Remember, open it at 2500 feet, lowest person has the right of way, never get<br />

under anyone or anything, never track into anyone, and always waveoff. Remember<br />

these things and you're good to go."<br />

I gave a thumbs up to the pilot and turned toward Carlisle.<br />

"Uh, Carlisle? We sort of have to go."<br />

"Skydiving isn't what I think it is, is it?" he asked nervously. I shook my head<br />

sheepishly, grabbed his arm and jumped out of the plane. I heard the pilot holler<br />

"Good Luck" behind us and the plane roared away.<br />

"Emmett, I'm going to kill you!" screamed Carlisle as we hurtled through the air.<br />

"Sorry Carlisle, it was on the directions Bella gave us!"<br />

"Fine, she's next on my hit list!" he yelled as he waved his arms and legs about. I<br />

took out my camera and took a picture of him. He turned and gave me a dirty look<br />

as I put my camera away.<br />

"Stop it Carlisle. We're falling, not swimming in a pool."<br />

"I don't know what to do!"<br />

"Just lay back, relax, and pull the chute when I tell you to." He nodded and looked<br />

down. After a bit, he took out his camera and we took pictures of each other while<br />

we fell towards the earth. We also took pictures below us.<br />

"It looks so peaceful below" Carlisle commented as we took a picture of the<br />

mountain tops a few yards away from us.<br />

"I wish the whole world could appreciate this… PULL the chute Carlisle!" I yelled.<br />

I had been so busy with the pictures that we passed the mark to open the chute.<br />

Carlisle fumbled with the camera and the pack before he found the pull cord.<br />

"Now?" he asked.<br />

- 230 -


"Now!" I yelled and we both pulled the cord. What we found when we pulled the<br />

cords was unexpected.<br />

"Butterflies?" Carlisle yelled. I couldn't help but take a picture of Carlisle looking<br />

horrified at his parachute. His purple parachute looked like a 6 year old girl painted<br />

it, with butterflies in varieties of pink and a stick princess with a wand.<br />

Carlisle looked at me angrily and whipped his camera out as well, taking a picture<br />

of me laughing. I struck another pose at him and smiled a bit.<br />

"Here, get my good side" I smirked at him. He smiled impishly and signaled for me<br />

to look up. I turned my head up and saw a picture of me in a dress.<br />

"What? I never did that! No! Where did that come from and why does it look so<br />

real?" I asked horrified.<br />

"Don't worry, I think you look very pretty" Carlisle said smugly as he took more<br />

pictures of me. I tried to cover my face but he kept snapping away. I finally managed<br />

to give him a dirty look and glared at him the whole way down.<br />

When we landed, I took off the pack as fast as I could but Carlisle tackled me and<br />

stuffed it down his pants.<br />

"You cannot destroy it."<br />

"Carlisle, so help me I will stick my hands down your pants and get it."<br />

"Why Emmett, was that an innuendo?"<br />

"Carlisle, I'm not playin… did you just make a dirty comment?" I asked him. While<br />

I looked at him confused, Carlisle took the opportunity to run. I gawked after him<br />

and got into gear.<br />

"Carlisle, come back with my parachute!"<br />

"You can have it when, or if, you catch me!" he yelled back. I thought that Edward<br />

was the fastest runner in the family but Carlisle proved that he's right up there with<br />

him.<br />

"Dang, I'm never going to get it back" I huffed and pushed myself all the way to<br />

our final destination.<br />

- 231 -


BPOV<br />

"All right Esme, all the teams are moving toward their final destination. We gotta<br />

move."<br />

"Sure, dear. I wanted to know how we can get there before the teams."<br />

"Oh, we're taking a real fun way. Now, let's lock and load."<br />

We walked toward the underground walkway where a little car waited for us.<br />

"You think we can drive faster than vampires?"<br />

"Well, we can if I souped it up. That, and I sent the teams on various ways to buy<br />

us some time."<br />

"Oh? Like what?"<br />

"Well, one team is skydiving, another is hang-gliding, and the last team is white<br />

water river rafting."<br />

"I didn't know there was rafting here."<br />

"Oh, there is if there's a river."<br />

We got in the car and I strapped on my seat belt. Esme strapped on her belts and<br />

held up her helmet.<br />

"Are these really necessary?"<br />

"Well, they're more for me than you. I would recommend the seat belts though<br />

unless you want to fall out upside down!" I chuckled but Esme didn't seem to be in<br />

as good a mood as I was. I cleared my throat and started the engine.<br />

"Hope you're strapped in Esme, we're ready to go." I told her over the roar of the<br />

engine. She gave me a thumbs up and I pressed the button.<br />

Soon, we were streaming at speeds of up to 105 miles per hour. Esme was<br />

clutching the back of my seat as I tried to hold on to my seatbelt for dear life.<br />

"Isn't this a rush?" I yelled back at her as the scenery whooshed by in a blur of<br />

green.<br />

- 232 -


"It's… something!" Esme yelled back after a pause. I whooped a few more times<br />

and within 5 minutes, we were back at the Cullen house. I hopped out of the car and<br />

jumped a few times to get the feeling back in my legs.<br />

"Whoa, that was great!" I breathed as I hopped all around Esme.<br />

"It was an experience I hope to never experience again." She said with a look. I<br />

laughed at her and kept hopping around her. After a bit, Esme grabbed my<br />

shoulders and pushed me down.<br />

"Stop, please" she begged me. I nodded and motioned toward the house.<br />

"We should go in and set up; they'll be here any minute."<br />

We both walked into the house to transform the living room. Esme turned the<br />

switch to have the metal shutters come down which we painted black a few days<br />

ago. I pulled the prospective chairs for the teams and worked with the lighting we<br />

needed.<br />

When we finished, Esme and I took our seats and I flipped the switch that enabled<br />

us to go in the bunker I built.<br />

"What is the bunker for?"<br />

"Oh, I constructed it so the teams won't know that we'll be here. We can hear<br />

them but they can't hear us. You will also have to make sure that your thoughts are<br />

shielded from Edward. I can't plan against that."<br />

"Done deal darling. Oh, I think I hear the first team to arrive."<br />

"That should be Edward and Alice. I can hear them arguing from here."<br />

APOV<br />

I walked through the forest angrily, cutting a path through any greenery that<br />

dared to get in my way.<br />

"Alice, I already told you I was sorry! I didn't think that would happen!" Edward<br />

pleaded behind me. He could have easily caught up but he knew better than to be<br />

anywhere near me.<br />

"It doesn't matter to me Edward. Those were brand new Manolo Blahniks and my<br />

- 233 -


whole wardrobe was Valentino! I can't believe you didn't warn me!"<br />

"I'll get you a new wardrobe and shoes! How about those shoes, uh, Gootchie and<br />

that designer named… hold on, oh yeah! Frada!"<br />

I turned to him with an appalled and outraged expression.<br />

"Do you mean Gucci and Prada?" I asked him slowly. I would never hurt someone<br />

but he is truly killing me now.<br />

"I didn't mean to mispronounce them Alice, I just wasn't sure." He backtracked as<br />

he raised his arms.<br />

"I've spent years trying to get you dressed correctly. Even going as far as giving<br />

you little cheat sheets so you'll know who's covering your loins!"<br />

"Loins?" He interrupted but I ignored his comment.<br />

"… And you dare to get the names WRONG? How could you do that Edward? Even<br />

Emmett knows them!" I screamed at him.<br />

"I'll study them tonight Alice, I promise!" he said hurriedly. I huffed and continued<br />

my rampage through the forest toward our home.<br />

"You still should have warned me."<br />

"How was I supposed to help you steer away from that Hawk's nest?"<br />

"You could have at least helped me when they started pecking at me and shredded<br />

my sweater, which I still had to leave behind!"<br />

"I'm sorry Alice! I didn't think they would have the strength to drag you that far!"<br />

"I could have defended myself if I hadn't been stuck in the hang glider," I sniffed<br />

at him.<br />

"Or when those squirrels started attacking you as well and jumped into your<br />

shirt," he added.<br />

"You're not helping!"<br />

"Sorry. How about this, I'll make it up by getting you that dress you've been<br />

- 234 -


eyeing for a while."<br />

"What dress?" I asked suspiciously. Edward's eyes lit up and he got a victorious<br />

smirk on his handsome face.<br />

"That dress made by a certain Miss Madeleine Vionnet."<br />

I stopped dead in my tracks and gawked at him.<br />

"No. Way."<br />

"Yes way sister dearest. I've been saving this dress for an occasion such as this."<br />

He smiled. I squealed and threw myself at him. He caught me and spun me around.<br />

"I take back everything I said about you; you're the best brother ever!" I said as I<br />

hugged him fiercely.<br />

"All right, all right" he chuckled as he pried me loose. We both kept on toward the<br />

house, which we could see from here.<br />

"Alice, one question." He said after a while. We were walking down the driveway<br />

and were less than 50 feet away from it.<br />

"Shoot, favorite brother of mine."<br />

"Why did that moose start attacking you too?"<br />

"Oh, I threw a squirrel at it by mistake."<br />

Edward snorted at that.<br />

"Nice, Alice."<br />

"Well, it wouldn't have happened if someone had helped me!" I yelled and we<br />

started arguing again as we neared our house.<br />

We walked in to find that the living room was dark and had six chairs in a row. I<br />

sat on one end of the chairs as Edward sat on the other end. Soon, Jasper and<br />

Rosalie walked in together, laughing.<br />

"… and those beavers never saw it coming!" Jasper laughed as Rosalie laughed<br />

heartily.<br />

- 235 -


"Do you remember the part with the moose that came out of nowhere?"<br />

"Oh yeah! If I hadn't calmed it down, it would have charged us both! I still didn't<br />

get why there was a squirrel hanging on to it."<br />

"Beats me," shrugged Rosalie.<br />

"Hey Alice!" Jasper waved and rushed over to give me a greeting hug and kiss.<br />

"Sup moody?" Rosalie asked Edward. He rolled his eyes at her but waved in<br />

greeting as she sat near him.<br />

"What's got you and Edward so mad at each other?" Jasper asked as he took some<br />

stray twigs out of my hair.<br />

"Nothing" we said simultaneously after glancing at each other. We waited a few<br />

minutes for Carlisle and Emmett, listening to Jasper and Rosalie's "White water<br />

adventure."<br />

"…and that's when the moose came charging from the trees, dead set on smashing<br />

something."<br />

"so Jasper threw himself onto the moose's back, riding it like a bucking horse."<br />

"That's also why Rosalie had to chase me. I fell sideways and my shoes got stuck<br />

on the antlers. <strong>The</strong> squirrel also started climbing all over me, biting, well trying to<br />

bite, me all over."<br />

"And that's how we got here." Rosalie finished with a hand movement.<br />

"So, what are your stories guys?" Jasper asked curiously. We both stuttered<br />

uselessly before Emmett burst in through the door.<br />

"What's cracking losers and Rosalie?" he boomed as he sat next to his wife and<br />

proceeded to make out with her. Carlisle walked in behind him and smacked<br />

Emmett on the head as he passed by.<br />

"Don't call them losers, you knucklehead," Carlisle said grumpily as he placed<br />

himself next to Edward.<br />

"Whoa, someone's snippy," said Jasper.<br />

- 236 -


"No, no. It's deserved. I already told you I was sorry Carlisle! I even promised to<br />

go to med school next time but he isn't taking my offer."<br />

"I wonder why," Carlisle remarked sarcastically.<br />

"Hey, you have no reason to be mad anymore! You took the pa…ersonal object and<br />

won't give it back to me!" Emmett yelled. We could all tell that he was trying to<br />

cover up something but we didn't know what.<br />

"Just you wait. I'm going to ask Bella to infuse it with that special indestructible<br />

mixture so you can never tear it." Carlisle said smugly. He also patted his pants and<br />

made a face at Emmett. We all looked at Carlisle oddly, wondering why he would pat<br />

his pants in such a creepy way and why Emmett glared at him and his pants.<br />

Jasper was about to say something when the floor in front of us shifted, with Esme<br />

and Bella emerging on chairs.<br />

"Hey guys, I hope you've enjoyed the heists you pulled because we will not be<br />

doing it again for a long time." Bella smiled at us. We groaned but understood her<br />

sentiment. It was hard and tiring, even for us vampires. I couldn't even fathom the<br />

toll it took on Bella.<br />

"Esme?" questioned Carlisle. "<strong>The</strong> last time I saw you was when we entered the<br />

obstacle course! Where did you go?"<br />

"Well, Bella couldn't have done everything by her lonesome so she recruited me to<br />

help. I've been in on it since she made the plans."<br />

"Seriously? I didn't even pick up on that," awed Edward.<br />

"Well, I'm a woman of many talents," Esme smirked at him. Emmett opened his<br />

mouth to say something but he was cut off with a glare from Esme and Carlisle.<br />

"Anywho," Bella piped in, "I just wanted to hear what you guys thought about it!<br />

<strong>The</strong>n, we can watch a special presentation that Esme and I made."<br />

Everyone started immediately complementing Bella and Esme on their<br />

outstanding job in building the course until Jasper's comment beat everyone.<br />

"Bella, the newborn wars were more predictable than your obstacles. I have deep<br />

respect for you as a formidable opponent."<br />

- 237 -


<strong>The</strong> whole room quieted as soon as he said the last word. It was something for<br />

Jasper to respect her but to name her a formidable force when she was a human? It<br />

was mind boggling for us. Sensing the importance of the statement, Bella turned a<br />

bright shade of red.<br />

"You really mean that? I'm flattered Jasper, thank you!" She exclaimed and ran out<br />

of her seat to give him a hug.<br />

"Hey hey, hands off the meat candy Bells. You got your own" I teased after a<br />

while. She slyly winked at me and went to go sit on Edward.<br />

"You can never have enough," she grinned at me and turned off the light as she<br />

started the special movie. Jasper chuckled and hugged me close, saying I was the<br />

only one for him. I snuggled in to him and laughed at the footage that Bella had<br />

gotten of us from the heist.<br />

Awwwww, <strong>The</strong> heist is over… :(<br />

It was super fun to write this and really hard to come up with new<br />

material.<br />

I can't wait to reveal the rest of the story though… MWAHAHA!<br />

Later guys!<br />

- 238 -


Telling and Planning<br />

Agh, I've been so bad at updating but I have a lot of school work that I<br />

cannot balance this with.<br />

Uh, people have still been faving this story and for that, I thank you guys.<br />

You ALL rock.<br />

Read on.<br />

BPOV<br />

We were all enjoying the footage that Esme and I had collected over the weeks but<br />

I was still uneasy. It was only a couple of days from now that I'd be heading off to<br />

another country to perform an actual heist.<br />

In my spare time, I've been reading up on my mark and how to execute the perfect<br />

plan. Moz and I had been sending encrypted messages through a system we devised<br />

a while ago.<br />

I had the tickets, the clothes and only one more thing to do.<br />

Tell them.<br />

I sighed and made sure to keep my emotions in check. It didn't help that Jasper<br />

was close by. He gave me a look once but I gave him a reassuring nod. Alice hadn't<br />

caught on to my future plans yet and for that, I was thankful.<br />

I looked over to see Edward and his reactions to the video. Everyone seemed to be<br />

having a good time but I'm sure that will completely change afterwards. I settled in<br />

to watch the Rosalie and Edward part but I nodded off.<br />

EPOV (Edward... there ARE too many E names...)<br />

I looked down when Bella fell asleep on my chest. I tried to focus on the movie but<br />

ended up being captivated by the angel I was holding. She looked so peaceful and<br />

relaxed.<br />

- 239 -


I started playing with her hair and smoothing away the frown on her face as she<br />

slept. I don't know what has had her so worried but I hope that it's over by now.<br />

I was so proud of Bella. She had built this entire course and gained respect from<br />

everyone in my family, especially Jasper.<br />

I meant every word Edward. She really is a force to be reckoned with. Jasper gave<br />

me a smile above Alice's head. I mouthed a Thank you to him and continued to gaze<br />

at my glorious Bella.<br />

Um, Edward? Jasper mentally called out me. I turned my head toward him.<br />

I've picked up these weird feelings from Bella and they're starting to worry me.<br />

I gave Jasper a look that told him to elaborate.<br />

Well, she's been getting a bit anxious at times. She's also felt worried, excited and<br />

wistful. Every time I'm about to ask her though, she squashes her feelings and gives<br />

nothing out. I'm not sure if they're major feelings because they're always so covered<br />

up. I've almost missed them completely at times, but I realized she gets them<br />

whenever she's looking at us. Ask her about them will you?<br />

I looked over at Jasper and nodded seriously.<br />

"I'll ask her as soon as I find an opportunity," I whispered to Jasper. <strong>The</strong> family<br />

ignored my comment and continued to watch the movie but another voice piped in.<br />

"Or, I'll do it as soon as the movie's over," Said Bella. Jasper and I both snapped<br />

our heads down at her to see that she was wide awake.<br />

"How did you…?" I started asking but she put a hand up.<br />

"I had a feeling."<br />

We all turned our attention back to the movie and five minutes later, it was over.<br />

Bella got up to turn the TV off as I turned the lights on.<br />

"Can I have your attention please?" Bella asked as she put everything away. <strong>The</strong><br />

whole family turned in her direction.<br />

"What's this about darling?" asked Esme.<br />

- 240 -


"Well, I have some news to tell you. <strong>The</strong>re's no easy way to say this so I'll just<br />

throw it out there."<br />

"We all know you have wild animals Bella. It's no news to us," Emmett yawned.<br />

Rosalie gave him a glare and told Bella to continue.<br />

"I've recently accepted an offer and I'm going on a heist."<br />

We all sat in confusion for a moment.<br />

"Wait, aren't you out of the con business?" Jasper asked.<br />

"Well, yeah but you're never out of the con world. It's a way of life. I didn't know<br />

how much I had missed it until Moz told me about th…"<br />

"Wait, wait! It was Moz that told you about this? You still keep in touch with the<br />

guy?" Alice burst out.<br />

"Well, yes. Moz has always been a part of my life and he will continue to be part of<br />

it. He's my brother. Anyway, he told me about an item that I've been obsessed with<br />

for a few years and an opportunity presented itself for me. I always vowed that I<br />

would steal this piece, whether I was out of the con world or not."<br />

"So you're just going to leave us?" Rosalie asked. She looked hurt at Bella's news.<br />

We all know Rosalie isn't the best in the feelings department but having Bella in our<br />

lives changed all that.<br />

"I'll be back!" Bella assured upon seeing Rosalie's expression. "It will just be a<br />

couple of weeks though. You won't even have time to miss me."<br />

"When will you leave?" Esme piped in. Bella looked uneasy at her question and<br />

stalled a bit before answering.<br />

"Two days from now." She looked so regretful until Jasper pointed something out.<br />

"Edward, why don't you look worried?"<br />

<strong>The</strong> whole family turned toward me to see that I wasn't as outraged as they were<br />

toward Bella's news. Even Bella looked a bit bewildered to see that I wasn't the most<br />

upset.<br />

"That's easy, I won't have anything to be worried about. Bella's made her<br />

- 241 -


decision."<br />

"That's it? You're just going to let her go? Just like that?" Alice asked appalled. I<br />

nodded and turned to smile at Bella.<br />

"Of course I'm not going to let her go so easily," I snorted at my family. <strong>The</strong>y all<br />

audibly breathed a sigh of relief until I continued speaking. " I'm going with her."<br />

All hell broke loose.<br />

"You're what?" yelled Rosalie and Alice. Everyone started arguing about me not<br />

going, Bella not going, and how to kidnap us when Emmett made his own<br />

exclamation.<br />

"I'm tagging along." He announced as he grinned at everyone. Rosalie's eyes<br />

widened at her husband.<br />

"You'd leave me?"<br />

"Of course not Honey," Emmett scoffed, "I'm taking you with me!"<br />

"I'm going and I'm taking Jasper hostage then!" Alice clapped in her seat.<br />

"Why am I a hostage?"<br />

"Well, you can't go alone. We'll have to chaperone." Esme told us. Carlisle looked<br />

at his wife and shrugged.<br />

"Cullen Family Vacation, 2011!" Emmett whooped. We laughed and began<br />

working out our plans when I turned toward Bella.<br />

Bella had a look of confusion and discomfort on her face.<br />

"Is that all right Bella? That we'll be tagging along on your heist?" I asked as I<br />

walked toward her. <strong>The</strong> family quieted down to gauge her reaction.<br />

"You would all miss a month's worth of school to go see an illegal activity?"<br />

"No. We'd all go to see you pull the greatest con ever." Emmett patted her head.<br />

"I can't let your whole family miss their lives because of me," she told me<br />

worriedly.<br />

- 242 -


"You won't. You're part of our family now Bella. We'd be damned to let you go<br />

anywhere without us." Carlisle smiled warmly at her. Bella looked touched at his<br />

words and ran to give him a hug. She then went around the room to embrace<br />

everyone until she came back to me.<br />

I looked down at her melted chocolate eyes and leaned down to give her a tender<br />

kiss on her lips. She looked so content and I was glad that I had been part of making<br />

her feel this way.<br />

"All right, if you guys are insistent on going," she said teasingly, "we're going to<br />

have a few ground rules."<br />

<strong>The</strong> whole family cheered and we set to making a plan for the heist vacation.<br />

BPOV<br />

It was the day to before we had to leave on vacation and I was all packed.<br />

I was sort of excited to go on the heist but now that the Cullens were going too, I<br />

was happier than I thought I would be. Moz needed a lot of convincing when I<br />

phoned him to tell him the change of plans.<br />

Moz retaliated by saying he was bringing Trina. I relented but agreed.<br />

I was mortified when the Cullens first suggested going. This was a carefully<br />

planned two man operation and I mentally saw the heist unraveling until I<br />

remembered an important deciding factor.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y're vampires. If I thought I had to be careful, it wasn't anything compared to<br />

them keeping their secret. Once I accepted that fact, I relaxed and started looking<br />

forward to the trip.<br />

<strong>The</strong> school already got the stories. I claimed that I had to visit my mom in Italy for<br />

a fashion show which explained the fancy clothes, and the Cullens claimed to be<br />

going to visit Oxford University for Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett.<br />

Alice was taking this heist "vacation", as she claims it, seriously. She decided on<br />

only taking one suitcase which surprised the Cullens until she revealed her reason<br />

for it. Alice claimed that she would be spending the whole month buying clothes and<br />

checking out the fashion shows.<br />

I was putting away my toiletries bag when I heard my phone ring.<br />

- 243 -


"Hello?"<br />

"Hey Bella! We're wondering if you're all ready. Rosalie's still got packing to do<br />

but everyone else is finished." Alice scoffed over the phone. I heard another click<br />

and a furious Rosalie started talking.<br />

"Not all of us are going to take the clothes from fashion designers Alice. I like<br />

having some of my clothes with me instead of going out shopping every day."<br />

"Oh pish tosh. <strong>The</strong>re will be plenty of swag during the fashion shows in England."<br />

"Hey, if you guys called to fight, then you can hang up and continue. I have plenty<br />

of stuff to tend to at home."<br />

"Sorry!" Alice and Rosalie apologized. "I called to see if you needed any help. Do<br />

you want me to come over?"<br />

"Yeah, sure. I just have to devise a system of care for Tuna and Fish."<br />

"All right, I'll be there in 2 minutes. Give Fish my love!" she said and hung up. I<br />

sighed and threw my phone on the bed. Tuna trotted up to me and laid down beside<br />

me. I looked into her blue eyes and it was almost as if I could read her mind.<br />

Tuna always hated whenever I left her for a heist. It wasn't like I could take a<br />

mountain lion into the city anyway! I made the mistake of doing that once and I will<br />

never do it again.<br />

I heard a knock on my window and saw a flash of orange leap over me and Tuna.<br />

Fish excitedly pressed the buttons with her nose and propped the window open to<br />

allow Alice inside.<br />

"Hey Fish! How's my favorite girl?" Alice cooed as she scratched Fish under her<br />

chin and behind her ears.<br />

"What am I, chopped liver?"<br />

"If you were, Fish would gobble you right up. Have I ever mentioned how<br />

awesome it is that you have a fox? It's like an exotic puppy." Alice giggled as Fish<br />

nuzzled up to her.<br />

"I thought you were here to help me."<br />

- 244 -


"I am, I just got sidetracked. Ok, what do you need help with?"<br />

"Well," I grunted as I hoisted myself off the bed, "I need help with making a<br />

feeding system for Tuna and Fish. <strong>The</strong>y'll need meals for the whole month but I don't<br />

want the food to get rotten and there's no one else I can entrust them to."<br />

"Well why can't you just take them with you?"<br />

"<strong>The</strong> last time I took Tuna on a heist, I caused 4 statewide emergencies. It wasn't<br />

fun and a lot of people had to be dealt with."<br />

"Whoa, what happened?"<br />

"Someone saw Tuna and I play wrestling and they called animal control. It didn't<br />

help when they saw four other mountain lions with us either."<br />

"Why were there other mountain lions?"<br />

"Oh, I have a way with wild animals for some reason and Tuna communicated with<br />

them somehow. I knew they weren't going to hurt me. Anyway, when animal control<br />

came, I panicked and got them to run away in time, Tuna included. She knew I'd<br />

come back for her." I looked at Tuna as I told finished and nuzzled my face onto her<br />

neck. She purred with content and settled her head on my lap.<br />

"So what else happened?"<br />

"Well, the state and the surrounding states went into a mountain lion hunt and<br />

went on a killing spree, or so they thought. I snuck out to the houses of every person<br />

who meant harm to the lions and replaced their bullets with tranq darts. So when<br />

they thought another lion was killed, I had saved them instead."<br />

"Whoa. But you can still bring Tuna and Fish with you."<br />

"How Alice? Didn't you listen to a word I said?"<br />

"Well, you have us Bella. We can take care of Tuna and Fish for you. We're plenty<br />

capable."<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y're not going to allow wild animals inside of a hotel Alice!"<br />

"Oh, that's right. We didn't tell you but we have great news Bella!"<br />

- 245 -


"That would be?"<br />

"We changed the location! We won't be staying at the hotel anymore; we'll be<br />

renting a house."<br />

"Alice! You can't do that. We chose that specific place for a reason. You can't just<br />

go changing the venues without informing Moz and me about it!"<br />

"Simmer Bella. We realized that there is a reason you chose the place but we don't<br />

have to stay there. We'll be staying in a remote house reserved for us that's in the<br />

mountains, enclosed by woods for food purposes. Maybe Trina can stay with us as<br />

well! We can't leave her in a rinky dink hotel all by her lonesome all the time."<br />

"We're staying at the fanciest hotel in the UK, Alice."<br />

"So? It wasn't that great when it first opened up and it's not that great now." She<br />

sniffed as she walked towards the bed. I rolled my eyes inwardly and trailed behind<br />

her as she walked toward my closet.<br />

"Bella, what's all this?" Alice asked from inside my clothes.<br />

"I didn't go shopping recently Alice, there's nothing that surprising in there."<br />

"I meant the stuff behind your clothes Bells," she said annoyed. I frowned in<br />

confusion and then bolted to my closet. I had forgotten to close my mini artillery<br />

room which the Cullens knew nothing about.<br />

"This is just nothing!" I exclaimed as I skidded into the room. I tried shoving Alice<br />

out but she wouldn't move a muscle.<br />

"Nothing my bum! You've got more weapons than the FBI," she said in an awed<br />

voice.<br />

"Not by much. How do you know how much weapons the FBI has anyway?"<br />

"I was guessing. How do you know?" Alice asked as she walked into the room and<br />

ran her hands over my weapons.<br />

"I may have done some homework. It helps to know who's keeping an eye on you.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y've even got a nickname for me."<br />

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Alice asked as she aimed one of my guns at the light.<br />

- 246 -


"<strong>The</strong>y call me <strong>The</strong> Whisper."<br />

"Seriously? <strong>The</strong>y couldn't do any better than that?"<br />

"Well, I once whispered to a federal agent that they missed me by a second and<br />

ever since then, the name stuck, I guess."<br />

"You had enough time to whisper to him and run away? Fierce, sister!" Alice<br />

nodded her head and held her hand up for a high five.<br />

"Ok, enough about my bad-assed-ness. Let's go meet up with your family." I said<br />

after rolling my eyes at her. I put up my security system and set my packed bags<br />

near my door.<br />

"So it's agreed? We'll be taking your wonderful pets with us to the UK?"<br />

"Yes Alice. I cannot express how much it means to me that we'll be taking them.<br />

Thank you so much," I hugged her. She patted my back and picked me up.<br />

"It's nothing Bells. We all love your girls and we like spending time with them. <strong>The</strong><br />

only ones who haven't really spent time with them are Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and<br />

Carlisle. Since Rosalie, Edward and I love them already, they shouldn't be that hard<br />

to win over the rest of the family."<br />

"That actually makes me feel better Alice, thanks!"<br />

"Well, it's what I do." When we got closer to the house, Alice set me down and I<br />

was immediately picked up by something cold.<br />

"Why, hello there my handsome blur." I told Edward as I put my hands around his<br />

neck.<br />

"Milady" he said with a British voice. He paused for a moment and then nodded.<br />

"Alice catching you up to what we discussed on my girls?"<br />

"Yes. It'll be my pleasure to take care of Tuna."<br />

"Just remember, mountain lions are friends, not food."<br />

"How many kids movies do you watch Bella?"<br />

- 247 -


"Finding Nemo is an American classic!" I gasped in mock outrage.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> story takes place in Australia."<br />

"Nevertheless! It still makes for a great movie."<br />

"Sure dear," Edward sighed as he set me down. We walked hand in hand toward<br />

the door, arguing about different children's movies.<br />

"Bells? What's cracking baby?" Emmett boomed as he swung me around.<br />

"My spine! Put me down Emmett!"<br />

"Fine. You ready for our vacation/your job/amazing experience?"<br />

"Yep. <strong>The</strong> flight is tomorrow so I have to get a good night's sleep. I wanted to tell<br />

you guys that Alice offered to take Tuna and Fish while I'm working. Is that okay<br />

with you guys?" I directed my question toward Esme and Carlisle sitting on the<br />

couch.<br />

"We're fine with it dear!"<br />

"Ooh!" Emmett clapped as he heard the news. "We get to play with your kitty and<br />

fox?"<br />

"She's not a kitty, you nimrod. I wouldn't call Tuna a kitty to her face if I were you,<br />

she can get pretty vicious."<br />

"Your cat will get pissed?"<br />

"Oh, my mountain lion will get outraged. <strong>The</strong> last guy who called her a kitty<br />

couldn't walk right afterwards."<br />

"Ah Bella, you forget that I am a vampire therefore I'll take my chances."<br />

"I'll hurt you in place of my lion then. She may get broken teeth but I'll sic my<br />

boyfriend on you."<br />

"You'd get Edward to handle your fights?"<br />

"That or I can throw you in Carlisle and Rosalie's heist course." I shot back at<br />

Emmett as I stood face to face with him.<br />

- 248 -


I saw Rosalie and Carlisle simultaneously shudder after mentioning it in my<br />

peripherals and smirked with satisfaction.<br />

"It's not worth it, Emmett. Leave Tuna alone. Besides, she's my favorite!" Rosalie<br />

smiled toward him. Emmett rolled his eyes and walked over to the couch.<br />

We played a few games but when it got pretty late, I sat up and stretched.<br />

"It's time for me to go," I told the Cullens. Alice and Edward groaned.<br />

"Children!" Esme scolded them. "You'll see Bella tomorrow. Now, take her home<br />

and let her get some sleep Edward. We cannot have Bella tired as she does her job."<br />

"I love how your mom approves of my illegal activities," I whispered to Edward as<br />

we walked out the door.<br />

"Well, she knows that everyone's not perfect and as she got to know you, she<br />

realized you're as beautiful inside as you are inside," he smiled as he tucked some<br />

hair behind my ear.<br />

I rolled my eyes at his comment as he positioned me on his back.<br />

"Right, I'm Miss America material," I muttered as I clamped my legs around him.<br />

"No, you're definitely not," he agreed. I snorted and slapped the back of his head.<br />

"Watch it buddy, or your gorgeous bronze locks will become a redheaded buzz<br />

cut."<br />

"I meant that Miss America has nothing on you, my beauty. Please don't do<br />

anything to my hair."<br />

"Well, you saved yourself at the end. A bit cheesily, but saved nonetheless."<br />

Edward breathed a sigh of relief and set me down on my stoop.<br />

"Well I'm glad my hair's saved but if they were to be cut by your hands, I'd suck it<br />

up."<br />

"Seriously? Why would I do that to you?"<br />

"I don't know, but I trust your judgment. Well, I must go before I keep you up all<br />

- 249 -


night. I still have some packing to do as well and I don't want you tired."<br />

I pouted at his departure as he bent down to kiss my cheek. "I'd love to get my<br />

hair cut if it meant your hands were running across my scalp." He whispered huskily<br />

before he left. I stood out of breath as he winked and left.<br />

"That was a loaded sentence" I huffed towards the woods. I heard a ghostly<br />

chuckle as I walked in my door unsteadily.<br />

Oooh… Edward flirting? I'm still writing when I have time so don't hate<br />

me!<br />

- 250 -


Conning and Surprises<br />

Agh, I've been really bad at updating but I have a lot of school work that I<br />

cannot balance this with. I have so many projects and school will be ending<br />

soon so look forward to me putting out more chapters!<br />

I've also started writing a new story which will NOT come out until I finish<br />

this one.<br />

Uh, people have still been faving this story and for that, I thank you guys. I<br />

also love getting your comments and I want to give a shout out to:<br />

Crazyperson17 (You rock!)<br />

Gothgirl11245 (You're a sweetheart!)<br />

Cottencandy26 (Thanks for the feedback!)<br />

XlaraC (Much appreciated!)<br />

Twilightfan130151 (Thanks!)<br />

You ALL rock. Seriously.<br />

Read on!<br />

Next Day<br />

We arrived at the airport terminal an hour early the next morning. Well, Trina,<br />

Moz and I did but the Cullens were nowhere to be seen.<br />

"Where are they? We have a strict schedule to keep and their 'fashionably late'<br />

time is not included in this!" Moz growled as he checked his watch for the billionth<br />

time.<br />

"Relax Moz, they'll be here on time," Trina reminded him as she played with Tuna.<br />

Moz took a calming breath and squatted next to me on the wall I was leaning<br />

against.<br />

- 251 -


"I can't believe you told them about Tuna and Fish. It took me a year to find out<br />

about them, and that was by accident."<br />

"Well, they're like family to me. Ha ha! Death to the piggies!" I told him as my<br />

birds knocked down the wooden blocks.<br />

"Stop playing Angry Birds and listen to me! Do you really trust them?" Moz asked<br />

as I paused the game.<br />

"More than my own life," I told him. He looked a bit concerned but then accepted<br />

my answer.<br />

"I always wondered what it would be like if you ever found love. I'm so proud and<br />

happy for you Bella."<br />

He pulled me in for a bear hug as I looked at him bewildered. After all those talks<br />

of him killing whoever would date me, he's happy I found somebody I want to be<br />

with? He'd chased away a couple of guys that I had liked in the past but he didn't<br />

seem to care if I liked Edward or not.<br />

"Why are you so cool with this?" I asked him as he started playing his own game.<br />

"Easy, you never tried so hard to include somebody into your life as much as you<br />

have with him."<br />

I was about to respond to that when a giant jeep came screeching into the hangar.<br />

"Thank God! With only 5 minutes to spare too," Moz grumbled as he stood up.<br />

"We leave in 15 minutes and be nice; I have to introduce you to everyone."<br />

As the Cullens piled out of the jeep, I heard a gasp escape Trina. I couldn't see<br />

Moz but I knew his eyes were widening from seeing them again.<br />

"Bella!" Emmett yelled as he bounded toward me. He picked me up and twirled<br />

me around.<br />

"Emmett! Getting dizzy here."<br />

"Oh, sorry. Well we're here as you can see. We would have gotten here earlier but<br />

you know how girls can be," he added in a stage whisper while rolling his eyes.<br />

- 252 -


"We only took a long time because you couldn't find your favorite duck boxers,"<br />

Rosalie yelled out as she came toward me and gave me a hug.<br />

"Hey, you know they're my lucky ones. Besides, Alice hates them and always tries<br />

to get rid of them. You'd think she was…. Oh! That's why they were in the ceiling."<br />

"I didn't think you'd find them there," Alice grumbled as she came to stand next to<br />

me.<br />

"Now, now Alice. You know that the only reason he could find them is because he<br />

tracked their pungent smell," Jasper added as he nodded at me.<br />

"Hey! I smell great, don't I Bella's friend?" Emmett asked as he stuck his wrist<br />

under Trina's nose.<br />

"You smell very nice," she said a bit shocked as she removed his big hand away<br />

from her with two fingers.<br />

"See?" Emmett asked smugly.<br />

"We can all agree that maybe you don't smell as bad as we think Emmett. Now<br />

apologize to Bella's friend for sticking your monstrous wrist so abruptly. Hello, I'm<br />

Esme and this is Carlisle." Esme said as she came toward us with her luggage.<br />

"I'm Trina and this is my husband Moz," Trina said a bit abashed. I had never seen<br />

her react this way, she was usually bubbly with everyone. When I looked at her<br />

though, I could tell that she felt a bit awed and intimidated.<br />

"Nice to meet you dear. <strong>The</strong>se are my children; Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and<br />

Jasper, and of course, Edward who's around here somewhere. We're looking forward<br />

to be spending a lot of time with you, Tuna, and Fish while Moz and Bella do their<br />

job."<br />

"Oh, you're not staying at the hotel?" Trina asked surprised. I had forgotten to tell<br />

them of the new development.<br />

"Well, they have a house they would prefer to stay in. <strong>The</strong> Cullens like their<br />

privacy and they offered to let Tuna and Fish stay with them. <strong>The</strong>y wanted to extend<br />

that invitation to stay with them while we're working so you won't be bored at the<br />

hotel."<br />

"That's very generous of you! I'd love to," Trina grinned at Esme.<br />

- 253 -


"Wonderful! We have so much planned now that you said yes," Alice clapped.<br />

"You may not tire out Trina unless she has a say so in what time she goes home.<br />

Got it?" Moz barked at Alice before Trina could say an answer. I was surprised that<br />

Jasper hadn't had jumped to Alice's defense but it looked as if he was impressed that<br />

Moz had talked rationally to Alice.<br />

"Moz, simmer. I would be delighted to join you in your activities. Can I make a<br />

request though?" Trina asked sheepishly. Alice's eyes looked knowing and she<br />

looked to be containing herself from squealing and jumping.<br />

"Shoot." Rosalie told her.<br />

"I wanted to know if we could go shopping at…."<br />

"YYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!" Alice bellowed out before Trina finished her<br />

sentence. We all looked at her bewildered before she chuckled awkwardly and<br />

answered in a softer voice this time.<br />

"I mean, we would love to go shopping Trina. It would be delightful." Alice said<br />

after an angry glare from Esme.<br />

"I can see that shopping will never be the same after shopping with you Alice,"<br />

Trina chuckled as she started putting her luggage away.<br />

"Damn straight," Alice started.<br />

"Language lady!" Esme scolded as she put away her suitcase.<br />

"I mean, darn straight it will be Trina. Don't worry; I have a feeling that<br />

everything will look great on you." She said smugly. Edward came out from behind<br />

the car and gave her a look.<br />

"Hey! What took you so long Edward?" I asked him as he wrapped his arms<br />

around me.<br />

"Somebody decided to strap me in with the luggage and it took me a while to get<br />

out," He said while glaring at Emmett.<br />

"Dude, we didn't have enough room for you in the front," Emmett sighed in<br />

annoyance.<br />

- 254 -


"Right, I'm sooo sure," Edward grumbled. I kissed him under his jaw and turned<br />

toward Trina and Moz.<br />

"I don't think I officially introduced you guys to my boyfriend Edward. Edward,<br />

this is Trina and Moz, my first family."<br />

"First?" Moz asked as he shook Edward's hand and sized him up.<br />

"Yep, you guys are my first family and the Cullens are my second family."<br />

"And we treat Bella like a daughter. She's truly a blessing to all of us," Esme said<br />

with a twinkle in her eye. Trina looked touched by her words.<br />

"I'm so glad Bella's been in good hands," Trina said with a soft smile.<br />

"Well, time to go guys. Do you know where our pilot is?" Moz asked as he put in<br />

the last suitcase.<br />

"Oh, right here my man." Jasper raised his hand and stepped forward.<br />

"Aren't you a little young to be flying an airplane?" Moz asked him.<br />

"Yes, yes I am," Jasper answered seriously.<br />

"And you guys say I watch too much cartoons," I grumbled toward Jasper. He<br />

grinned and winked at me.<br />

"What can I say, you got me hooked. Anyway, I got my pilot's license when I was<br />

14 and I'm a very qualified pilot. Would you like to see credentials and letters of<br />

approval?" Jasper asked as he took out some papers from his back pocket.<br />

"Nah, that won't be necessary. I trust you if Bella trusts you," Moz said easily. I<br />

could tell that he was a bit uneasy but he knew better than to go against my<br />

instincts.<br />

"Jasper has a pilot license?" I whispered to Edward as everyone boarded the plane<br />

ahead of us.<br />

"Not one of this year," Jasper whispered behind me. I gave him and Edward a<br />

confused look.<br />

"It's from the year 1928, two years after the first pilot's licenses were issued. He<br />

- 255 -


almost gave Orville Wright a heart attack once." Edward chuckled.<br />

"Jumped out from the top of the tree and hid when I fell back down in the trees.<br />

He thought it was a hallucination," Jasper snickered.<br />

I walked inside the small plane and whistled at the interior.<br />

"Whoa, this plane is sweet!" I said in amazement as I threw myself into a cushy<br />

chair and sank down into it.<br />

"Oh man, I'd give up ten Rembrandts for this amazingly comfortable chair and<br />

blanket," groaned Trina as she curled up in her seat.<br />

"Five Rembrandts and a DaVinci," moaned Moz as he let his head loll back.<br />

"This is better than our bed at home. Why can't we get any of these things? I'd live<br />

here forever if I could," Trina sighed as she took a bite from a strawberry.<br />

"Where'd you get this swag?" Moz asked as he tucked into a bag of chips he found.<br />

"I'll give you the name of the furniture place," Alice said as she put in a movie.<br />

I picked up a bowl of grapes and a bottle of vitamin water. We spent the plane<br />

ride telling Chuck Norris jokes, watching movies, playing board games, and<br />

sleeping. I fell asleep on Edward's lap as he played with my hair and stroked my<br />

cheek.<br />

When I woke up, it was bright outside.<br />

"Good morning Bella, did you sleep well?" Edward asked as he tucked some hair<br />

away from my face.<br />

"Best sleep I've ever gotten," I said as I stretched out over him. I heard a sharp<br />

intake of breath and looked up to see Edward's eyes darken a little.<br />

"Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom," Edward said. I moved myself from his<br />

lap and watched him almost run a little too fast to the bathroom.<br />

"What was that about?" I wondered aloud to myself.<br />

"Hormones, Bella. <strong>The</strong>y're the downfall of many a great man," Emmett said<br />

nonchalantly as he played his video games.<br />

- 256 -


I blushed at his answer and covered my face with my blanket.<br />

"Don't listen to Emmett, his mind is only ever on one thing," Edward said from<br />

beside me. I could tell that he was glaring daggers at Emmett's head.<br />

"So it wasn't, um, that?" I asked embarrassed. As I asked, I couldn't help but feel a<br />

little disappointed that I couldn't affect Edward the same way he affected me. I had<br />

expected to hear Edward answer me but all I heard was silence. Since I was sitting<br />

next to him, I know he hadn't moved unexpectedly.<br />

I inched the blanket down and saw Edward looking down at his fingers.<br />

"Edward Cullen, are you embarrassed?" I gasped in shock. I had never seen<br />

Edward embarrassed by anything!<br />

"Well, it's not that you don't affect me in any way, I mean you do! You're gorgeous,<br />

how can I NOT be affected by you? I mean, I am a man Bella, it is a natural human<br />

emotion so I don't see why you're so surprised. What I don't see is why Emmett<br />

blurted it out and made this an awkward conversation that should have only been<br />

started and discussed by us privately but since we're on a plane, we don't have that<br />

option, making this a very uncomfortable plane ride especially with Moz and Trina<br />

right there, sleeping…" Edward babbled as I stared in amusement.<br />

I put my finger on his mouth to silence him and gave him a quick kiss.<br />

"Edward, your rambling is cute. I'm glad I affect you in some way and we'll talk<br />

about this later, OK?"<br />

Edward looked down lovingly at me and sighed happily as he pulled me in close to<br />

his side.<br />

"Have I told you how crazy I am about you Bella?"<br />

"About as crazy as I am about you," I answered him with a grin.<br />

"Well then, I guess we should both be locked in a mental institution," he said<br />

mischievously.<br />

"With all this crazy talk, maybe you guys should be in the loony bin," Emmett<br />

answered from his chair. Edward and I stared at him with our mouths gaping when I<br />

had an idea. I wrote it down for Edward and he nodded with a wicked grin.<br />

- 257 -


I removed my blanket and made it sound like I was walking to the bathroom.<br />

Edward crouched on the floor and coiled, waiting for my signal. I used my sneaking<br />

skills to creep up next to Emmett and nodded my head to Edward.<br />

Edward landed on his lap in a crouch and grabbed hold of his hands as I perched<br />

myself on Emmett's shoulders and leaned down to his ear.<br />

"Maybe you should join us," I whispered and stuck my head close to his face as<br />

Edward did the same.<br />

"What the heck guys? I thought you were in the bathroom!" Emmett bellowed as<br />

Edward and I got off and burst into hysterics on the floor.<br />

"Oh man, his face was priceless!" Edward said between laughs. I giggled in<br />

agreement and imitated Emmett's shocked face which sent us into a fresh wave of<br />

laughter.<br />

"And I got it all on video," Alice added smugly from the cockpit door. Emmett<br />

looked more shocked and was more surprised when the others were laughing at<br />

him. After a bit, he finally cracked a smile and started chuckling.<br />

"You guys really got me, especially you Edward" he waved a finger at us. Edward<br />

helped me up from the floor and we bowed together.<br />

"You say that as if he doesn't do it that often," Moz commented from his chair.<br />

"Well, he didn't use to be like this," Alice said solemnly.<br />

"But then Bella came and showed us a side of Edward we never knew. A more<br />

playful, happy side of Edward and we like him a lot," Rosalie smiled at us. I blushed<br />

and ducked my head down as Edward wrapped his long arm around me and kissed<br />

the top of my head affectionately.<br />

I could see that this information was rolling around in Moz's brain and he was<br />

analyzing everything we were doing. I had a feeling we'd be under his scrutiny the<br />

entire time.<br />

- Three weeks later-Because I'm lazy and want this story done sooner--<br />

Moz and I had finally done all our recon and gotten our plans in motion to steal<br />

the piece in three days and then hightail it back to America.<br />

- 258 -


Moz had grown to like the Cullens but the one who was in love was Trina. <strong>The</strong><br />

Cullens and Trina all became the best of friends, planning everything together and,<br />

much to Alice and Rosalie's happiness, shopping. She was old enough to have down<br />

time with Esme and Carlisle, hyper enough to shop with Alice, Sarcastic enough to<br />

be with Rosalie, knowledgeable enough to discuss with Jasper and childlike enough<br />

to play with Emmett. Even Edward liked spending time with her.<br />

Moz and I had to pull all the stops with the target though, he was proving to be<br />

needier than we had planned but after a bit, he began to trust us. Well, trusts us<br />

enough to give us the keys to his private collection which we had not planned for but<br />

were grateful that it made our jobs easier and harder.<br />

<strong>The</strong> only problem was that I have had an uneasy feeling for the past week but I<br />

didn't know why. It was that feeling that people get in the back of their necks, like<br />

somebody's watching.<br />

Moz chalked it up to being paranoid but I was insistent.<br />

"Bella, you're just getting those pre-stealing jitters. Relax," Moz said as we walked<br />

back to the apartment.<br />

"No, you know I don't get any of those feelings during any of our cons but<br />

something just feels wrong Moz," I explained to him. He looked over at me and<br />

sighed. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and put his hands on my shoulders.<br />

"Bells, you're right. I should trust you. Now that I think about it, every time you<br />

got one of those feelings, you always pulled us out of trouble ahead of time. Do you<br />

know what it is this time?" Moz asked me.<br />

"No," I replied slowly. "I know for sure that it won't have anything to do with the<br />

heist though…"<br />

"So what's the problem?" Moz asked incredulously.<br />

"…But, I know something awful will happen either before or after," I sighed<br />

frustrated. Maybe I could ask Alice. We decided to keep on walking in silence until<br />

Moz said something surprising.<br />

"Maybe you could ask Alice," Moz commented nonchalantly.<br />

"What?"<br />

- 259 -


"Ask Alice," Moz repeated. "She can probably help you out with the future."<br />

"What do you mean?" I asked evenly. I had to see what he knew.<br />

"I mean that Alice has some sort of precognition, right?" he asked like it should be<br />

obvious to me.<br />

"What would make you think that?" I asked innocently.<br />

"Well, haven't you noticed that she is always one step ahead of everybody? And<br />

not only that, but I swear your boyfriend can even read minds sometimes," Moz said<br />

with conviction. I was about to answer him when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.<br />

Go ahead and tell him, it won't reveal the other thing. Trina already knows and<br />

she's psyched! She says hi! Oh, I also got you a little something!<br />

I closed the phone and looked up at Moz but he already seemed to know.<br />

"Let me guess, Alice?" he asked smugly.<br />

"Okay Moz, you were right," I sighed in defeat.<br />

"I was? Wait, I want to hear you acknowledge it." He said smugly. I rolled my eyes<br />

in irritation and turned to face him.<br />

"You were right Moz, Alice is psychic."<br />

"Ha! I knew it! I knew it!" he shouted in victory. "I knew it sir, I had my suspicions<br />

and I was right!" Moz told a passerby who just nodded and gave Moz a thumbs up.<br />

Moz clapped a hand on his back and pointed at me.<br />

"I told you, I told you!" He sang as he skipped circles around me. I tried to be<br />

angry but he looked so ridiculous I couldn't help but crack a smile.<br />

"All right, all right Moz. Quit your skipping. Now, we have to get to the house so<br />

Alice can explain it to you even more." Moz smiled big, grabbed my arm and hailed a<br />

taxi.<br />

Today was the day! I was super excited to get the works of art and after ogling it<br />

for all those weeks, I was more than ready to take it away from someone who didn't<br />

appreciate it.<br />

- 260 -


<strong>The</strong> man didn't even know the artist's name or the title of the picture!<br />

I had recounted the story for Alice, Edward, and surprisingly Emmett, who was a<br />

Brendekilde aficionado.<br />

"He said what?" Emmett asked aghast.<br />

"Smyte," I spat his name, "actually goes 'Oh, I just thought it was one of those<br />

obvious names like Trees or something' to which I informed him that it was called A<br />

Wooden Path in Autumn. He had the gall to shrug and walk away, saying that his<br />

title was better than the original!"<br />

Alice and Edward giggled as Emmett's face got uncharacteristically angry. I bet<br />

that if he had a face, it would be purple.<br />

I chuckled at the memory of Emmett writing an angry letter to Smyte as I<br />

maneuvered past the beams that were sure to not only set off the alarms, but make<br />

us into ribbons.<br />

"You got it Bella?" Moz grunted as he did a complicated back-flip where he landed<br />

in a handstand with his feet at an angle.<br />

"Yep, just three more jumps and I'm home," I huffed as I used my legs to balance<br />

along the corners of the wall.<br />

"I'll race you," Moz grinned as he did a half turn.<br />

"You're on old man," I grinned as I pushed myself to my new spot. We both moved<br />

around as quickly and carefully as we could, each of us trying to outdo each other.<br />

We both landed next to each other at the same time.<br />

"Drat, another tie? What's that, like, the 46th one?" Moz asked as he put on his<br />

special gloves.<br />

"More like 54," I grunted as I switched my shoes.<br />

"Eh, we'll break the ties one of these days. Ready to go?" Moz asked as we made<br />

our wa toward the vault.<br />

"I've been preparing ever since I first laid eyes on Big Bert," I smirked toward<br />

Moz.<br />

- 261 -


"Well then, let's get this safe open," Moz smiled as he rubbed his hands together.<br />

- After the moving and the stealing-<br />

"All right Bella, I've loaded my last box! Still need help with yours?" Moz asked as<br />

he stacked his boxes atop each other.<br />

"Nah, I got it." I hollered back as I carefully wrapped my cherished painting again.<br />

"Hey, I'm hungry, I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat. You want anything?" Moz asked<br />

as he walked up to me.<br />

"Um, yeah. Can you grab me that good chocolate I like and one of those fruit<br />

juices? Oh, and a sandwich with some fries too if you could. Or anything near what<br />

you're gonna eat but keep the chocolate and the juice," I told him as I re-wrapped<br />

the painting with tougher material.<br />

"So, choc, juice, and food, got it. Be back in thirty," he hollered as he walked out<br />

the door. I was tucking in the corners when I heard movement behind me.<br />

"Forgot the order Moz? I thought you knew the chocolate I liked," I teased as I<br />

folded down another corner.<br />

"Sorry, wrong person," said a smug voice from behind me. I froze and whirled<br />

around.<br />

"Jimmy," I gasped, "what are you doing here?"<br />

"I have a proposition for you," he said as he sat down across from me. <strong>The</strong> light<br />

from the overhead lamp shone on his glasses and his teeth.<br />

"What would make you think that I would do anything for you?" I said with a calm<br />

I didn't feel.<br />

"Well, it's not so much as a proposition as it is a threat," He said nonchalantly.<br />

"What makes you think you can threaten me? I may have friends that are more<br />

dangerous than you are," I told him confidently. <strong>The</strong> Cullens were vampires and I'm<br />

sure they could have gotten rid of Jimmy quickly and quietly.<br />

"Oh, I know all about your friends," Jimmy said darkly, "In fact, I may know more<br />

than you think."<br />

- 262 -


His chilling smile made me want to shiver but I kept my composure.<br />

"You know nothing about anyone," I told him irritably.<br />

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong Bella," Jimmy sighed as he sat back and settled<br />

himself on the chair. "I know that your friends aren't of this world."<br />

"Well then you must be mistaken, all my friends are from this planet but I'll tell<br />

Superman that you're on to his secret," I whispered sarcastically and patted his leg.<br />

<strong>The</strong> grin that Jimmy had disappeared, replaced with a thin line and an air of<br />

annoyance.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> Cullens, Bella. I know what they are."<br />

"Very pale, a big family, all gorgeous?"<br />

"No, they're…."<br />

"Adopted?" I interrupted him with big eyes. His annoyance was gone and I could<br />

tell that he was a bit angry now.<br />

"Vampires" he spat and I could tell that he was trying to gauge my reaction.<br />

"Vampires? Hmm, last I checked, they haven't turned into bats and guess what?<br />

No coffins in their house! That must mean your theory is disproved," I told him<br />

matter-of-factly.<br />

"Silly Bella," Jimmy chuckled maliciously, "I know they're vampires because I can<br />

smell them on you. You see…" He moved closer and removed his sunglasses from his<br />

face. I let out a shocked gasp as I looked into his ruby eyes.<br />

"… I'm a vampire too Bella. Oh, and call me James," He grinned.<br />

WHOA! Twist inthisstory! I've been reading it and evenIcouldn't believe it!<br />

Ok, maybe I could but you know, it's in my head so it's like a preview.<br />

Wait till you see what happens next. I'll be out for a couple of weeks<br />

because I have to get ready for finals but don't worry! I shall write as much<br />

as I can!<br />

- 263 -


Later days lovely readers!<br />

Leave comments, talk about your day, or just tell me something funny. I<br />

love hearing from you guys :)<br />

- 264 -


Crying and Lying<br />

Ooh, updates consecutively! I'm extremely tired from work and waking up<br />

early today but I had been working like crazy to pour whatever was in my<br />

head onto these pages.<br />

Hope you like it.<br />

So, I got some AMAZING (hear the angels singing? I do! XD) reviews and I<br />

just wanted to say:<br />

Crazyperson17 (If I could hug you, I would. Your comment seriously made<br />

me happy)<br />

Alsin (here you go, a sooner update at your request ;D)<br />

You And Me Up In A Tree (I REALLY loved reading your review! And yes, it<br />

wasplanned. Thanks about my honesty comment, I forgot all about that.)<br />

Cullensbabymama7 (loved your review and especially loved your story! It<br />

made me giggle at work, rendering me as the crazy chick. Totally worth it<br />

though.)<br />

Nathcarpii (Thanks!)<br />

Lil-Blood-Sucker (Thank you!)<br />

To everyone else, thanks for reading and faving my story.<br />

You ALL rock. Seriously. I mean it. Hug yourself cuz I'm mentally giving<br />

you one.<br />

Read on!<br />

Oops, I forgot: Twilight does not, in any way, belong to me. Her and her<br />

many "E" named vampires belong to her. I just enjoy using them in my story.<br />

Now you can read on!<br />

- 265 -


I was still in shock over Jimmy's admittance. It all made sense now.<br />

"Shocked, my dear Bella?" He asked amused.<br />

"Just wondering what you wanted," I told him with a calm I knew I didn't feel.<br />

"Well, I've gotten tired of you ignoring me all these years Bella. You've hurt me,"<br />

he pouted.<br />

"It hasn't stopped you from getting other girls. Besides, I'm happy with…"<br />

"Edward. Yes, I know," he interrupted, "but you see, I really want you to be with<br />

me and that's where my proposition/threat comes in."<br />

"And what would that be?" I asked him tightly. I was getting pretty angry at his<br />

games and was working to dial one of the Cullens' numbers.<br />

"You see, I have a lot of powerful friends too," he said as he leaned back in his<br />

chair again. I scrolled down and tried to send a text message to Alice while he<br />

monologued.<br />

"And my friends seem to think of me as their leader," he went on as I typed in for<br />

her to help and started writing down my coordinates.<br />

"And what does that have to do with your threat?" I asked as I typed my message.<br />

"You see, if you don't find a way to get away from your Cullens and come with<br />

me…" James paused as I typed in the last number. I was about to hit send when his<br />

next words stopped my heart.<br />

"… I'll kill them all and make you watch," he ended sinisterly.<br />

"Why would you do that?" I asked him horrified.<br />

"It's the only way you'd listen. I know that once you become friends with someone,<br />

you're fiercely loyal. It's the only way to make you listen really."<br />

"And what if I refuse?" I asked defiantly.<br />

"That's easy. I'd torture them right in front of you before they died. That way, you<br />

could feel every single one of their body parts break, their limbs tear, and their<br />

blood pour. Every scream will be forever seared into your subconscious, their<br />

- 266 -


accusing eyes haunting you whenever you close your eyes," I looked up at his cold<br />

eyes and smug expression.<br />

<strong>The</strong> thing was that I knew he would do it too. <strong>The</strong> one thing that I learned from<br />

Jimmy was that when he said he would do something, he meant it and Jimmy, I mean<br />

James, always kept his word.<br />

"No," I breathed out in horror. I couldn't bear to have any harm fall upon the<br />

Cullens or Trina and Moz. I knew my only choice would have to be to comply with<br />

James and escape when I had the chance.<br />

"So what do you say Bella? Are you taking the easy way or do I have to convince<br />

you?"<br />

"I'll do what you want James, just leave my friends alone."<br />

"Good," James said in a pleased voice and patted my knee. "I expect you to get<br />

away from them two days from now. I figured you'd like one last day with them." He<br />

tapped my shoulder as if he was doing me a favor. I was livid on the inside but I kept<br />

it tightly bottled for the Cullens.<br />

"And what am I supposed to say to them?" I asked annoyed. <strong>The</strong>y were never<br />

going to believe nothing was wrong with me.<br />

"Make it up but make it quick. As soon as you get rid of them, go to the<br />

coordinates I give you and that will be that," he said happily. He stuck a paper in my<br />

hand and told me to burn it after I memorized the numbers.<br />

"And then what? I stay with you?" I spat the last part.<br />

"Now, now Bella. This can be hard or this can be easy. All I know is that if you<br />

have attitude, this… experience… will be very hard, for both you and your friends."<br />

I inhaled deeply and mustered all my patience to answer him.<br />

"I'll see you in two days James," I told him quietly.<br />

"I'll be looking forward to it Bella Swan. Until then," he whispered as he ran a<br />

finger down my cheek. He disappeared out of the door and I broke down in sobs.<br />

By the time Moz came back, I had composed myself and locked everything in the<br />

back of my mind, anxious to the remaining time I had with my friends.<br />

- 267 -


"I got you food, juice, and two chocolate bars!" He said as he showed me his bag<br />

of loot. I looked up at his eager, happy face and almost broke down in tears again.<br />

"What's wrong Bells?" He asked worriedly. I shook my head and mustered up a<br />

smile.<br />

"Nothing Moz. I just, uh, dropped a box on my foot but I'm okay now."<br />

"Clumsy? You? Huh, that's weird."<br />

"Yeah. Anyway, we should go get Trina from the Cullens. Who knows what trouble<br />

they've gotten into already?"<br />

"Yeah," Moz said thoughtfully. I could tell that he was examining my face so I tried<br />

my hardest to look normal.<br />

"Well, let's get going! I can't wait to tell them about how that spider freaked you<br />

out when you were upside down near the lasers."<br />

"You know that they're my one biggest fear Bella! I have no control over my<br />

reactions when I'm faced with giant, hairy behemoths like the one I saw!"<br />

"What behemoth? All I say was a spider the size of a lint ball," I muttered as I<br />

shrugged my jacket on.<br />

"You're gonna pay for that," Moz said angrily and he chased me all the way<br />

through the woods to the house, laughing along the way.<br />

-<strong>The</strong> next day, while on the plane ride home-<br />

EPOV (Edward, I mean)<br />

I was holding Bella close to me as she slept. Ever since the con, she had been<br />

acting a bit weird. She was clingier, not that I was complaining, and had a defeated<br />

look in her eyes.<br />

Edward, have you noticed something… odd about Bella? Jasper thought at me as<br />

he played chess with Alice.<br />

I looked up, and then down to answer him.<br />

"Have you felt anything?" I whispered. <strong>The</strong> others paid no attention to our<br />

- 268 -


conversation but they knew it had something to do with Bella. <strong>The</strong>y were worried<br />

too. She had been acting normal yesterday but it was her expressions that gave her<br />

away once in a while.<br />

I felt wistfulness and so much sadness yesterday. I also felt a fire in her, a desire<br />

to do something.<br />

I wondered what could make my angel so sad. Was she having doubts about<br />

stealing the object yesterday?<br />

"And Alice?" I whispered. She looked up with sad eyes and shook her head.<br />

I think she's deliberately blocking me Edward.<br />

I looked outside and saw palm trees slowly disappear and bigger trees took their<br />

place. We were finally in Washington.<br />

When we touched down and we all got off the plane, I saw my family bidding their<br />

farewells to Trina and Moz.<br />

"I'll miss you so much!" Alice told Trina as she threw her arms around her.<br />

"And I'll miss you my little Alice! It was great being with you. I hope we could<br />

hang out some other time."<br />

"Oh, we simply must!" Alice said happily as she clapped her hands.<br />

"And I'll make sure to join in," Rosalie said as she gave Trina a hug as well.<br />

"Well, it's been great seeing you guys and getting to know you. We'll make sure to<br />

come visit you some other day," Moz said as he put his remaining luggage in his car.<br />

"It was a pleasure getting to know you as well," Carlisle said and shook Moz's<br />

hand. Moz slipped into the car after closing the door for Trina and they drove away.<br />

"So Bella, you coming over after getting your stuff back to the house?" Emmett<br />

asked as he put in everyone's luggage into his jeep.<br />

"We'll see Emmett," I told him with a smile. I could see Bella was tired, and Tuna<br />

and Fish were also looking a bit sluggish as well.<br />

We got into Bella's car and drove toward her house. She was fidgeting with<br />

- 269 -


everything. She fiddled with the radio for a bit before turning to look at the window.<br />

"Something wrong Bella?" I asked her. Her shoulders froze for an instant but she<br />

turned to me with an innocent expression.<br />

"I just wish the vacation had gone on a little longer," she commented. I nodded my<br />

head in agreement and held her hand over the console.<br />

"Yeah, but at least we can still make more memories for the future," I told her<br />

happily. She turned her head back to the window and nodded her head absently.<br />

"We sure will," she said quietly.<br />

When we got to the house, I had finished putting Bella's luggage inside her house<br />

when she closed the door behind her and sat down on her porch.<br />

"Edward, I have to talk to you" she said seriously.<br />

"Sure, what about?" I asked her.<br />

"I don't' know how to say this so I'm just going to blurt it out there," she said<br />

rapidly. Could it be? I loved Bella enough to marry her but I thought I'd be the one<br />

to ask her.<br />

"I want to break up," she rushed out. It took me a while to register that but I<br />

couldn't comprehend her words.<br />

"You want to… break up?" I asked. I couldn't believe it! We were so happy! What<br />

could have caused her to want to break up?<br />

"Yes. I just don't think we're compatible."<br />

"But, we love each other. Do you not feel the same way?" I looked into her eyes<br />

and saw her eyes swim with love and emotion.<br />

"You do, I can see it Bella. You still feel strongly for me so why would you want to<br />

break up?" I told her as she got up and turned her back to me.<br />

"I love you more than the sun, the moon and the stars at night. You are the comet<br />

in my life that lit up my whole existence! You're my world Bella," I told her as I<br />

walked up behind her and touched her shoulders. She stiffened under my touch and<br />

whirled to face me. Her eyes were cold and hard.<br />

- 270 -


"Well Edward, you're not mine," she said.<br />

"You can't really mean that," I told her in a shocked voice. What she was saying<br />

was incomprehensible to me. I just couldn't make any sense of it!<br />

"You're no good for me Edward, I can't believe you really thought I was. <strong>The</strong> heist<br />

made me realize something too. Having other people just holds you back so I'm<br />

cutting myself out and getting back to what I do best. Don't bother looking for me,<br />

you won't ever find me."<br />

She made her way around me, closed her door, and turned off all the lights.<br />

I stood there frozen and in shock until I finally turned toward the woods and went<br />

home. Only one thought kept looping in my mind.<br />

What had just happened?<br />

BPOV<br />

As soon as I saw Edward disappear into the woods, I broke down. I couldn't<br />

believe the harsh words that came out of my mouth. I didn't have time to think about<br />

that though so I set up my food device for Tuna and Fish, gave them giant hugs and<br />

turned my back on them.<br />

I left my house and took a cab to the coordinates James had given me. We had<br />

pulled up to an alley and the cabbie slowed down.<br />

"You sure this is where you need to be little lady?" the gruff man asked me as I<br />

handed him the cash.<br />

"This is where I have to be," I confirmed and got out of the cab. He seemed to idle<br />

at the curb for a bit but he moved on once he saw me disappear. I was getting a<br />

tingle when all of a sudden, my head was covered and somebody tried to tie my<br />

hands from behind me.<br />

I jumped up and swung my arms around, making it hard for the assailants to get a<br />

grip on me.<br />

"James was right," a dark man with dreadlocks grunted as I tied the rope I had<br />

grabbed around his legs and pulled, making him lose his balance.<br />

"That's why I came prepared," grunted a girlish voice behind me and before I<br />

- 271 -


knew it, my face was being smothered by something that smelled sickly sweet. I<br />

stopped struggling against them and they got to work on tying me up.<br />

"I hate being drugged," I mumbled sleepily.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>n you should have let us kidnap you the easy way," sniped the man as my<br />

world faded to black.<br />

-break!-<br />

I woke up in a foggy haze.<br />

"Where am I?" I mumbled as I smacked my lips. I really did not enjoy the taste of<br />

chloroform.<br />

"You're awake sunshine! Oh I'm so glad you could join us! Here, I'll introduce you.<br />

<strong>The</strong> pretty redhead is Victoria and the dreads guy is Laurent, and of course you<br />

know me," James joked as he pointed everyone out.<br />

"Oh, that's awesome!" I told him in a fake cheery voice. "Mind telling me why the<br />

hell you tied me up?"<br />

"Ah, well I had to make sure you'd cooperate."<br />

"Well it's not like I could run away," I sneered, nodding toward my bound hands<br />

and legs.<br />

"Ha, funny. See, that's why we're so compatible Bella. We are so alike. That's why<br />

I asked you to dump your boy toy, so you could be with a real man."<br />

"Well, real men don't kidnap people to be their girlfriends. Only psychos do that<br />

and you seemed to have proved yourself a very good one. Besides, if I can't have<br />

Edward, I won't be with anyone" I told him cheekily.<br />

James's face darkened.<br />

"I had hoped you wouldn't say that Bella. But since you did, then I have no choice<br />

but to keep you here until you change your mind," James said as he walked toward<br />

me.<br />

"And you'll just keep me tied to a chair?" I asked him. I could deal with that, no<br />

problem.<br />

- 272 -


"Oh no, my dear Bella. I'm going to have to change your mind in other ways," he<br />

smirked before he raised his hand and proceeded to break my cheekbone.<br />

"Should have said yes," Laurent mumbled before he donned on a pair of brass<br />

knuckles.<br />

Boop Boop Boop Bleeeeeeeep. That's my heart flat lining because I'm<br />

being so evil. A break up and Bella's responsible! Shame on me.<br />

And seriously, what was Stephenie Meyer thinking about when she gave<br />

half the family an "E" name?<br />

Anyway, I was serious about the whole finals thing and these next two<br />

weeks, I will be totally busy. I just wanted to give you guys a treat before I<br />

delve into projects about the pedagogy of teaching ELLs and creating<br />

consciousness raising tasks. Yeah, major brain ache.<br />

So…. Drop me a line! Tell me what you did like, what you didn't, or a<br />

random story. I look forward to writing more!<br />

Til next time lovely readers!<br />

- 273 -


Searching<br />

You guys are so patient while I finish all my schoolwork!<br />

All righty, review shout outs!<br />

You And Me Up In A Tree: Words cannot describe how much your reviews<br />

make me laugh. I did NOT creep you (at least not intentionally XD), I did get<br />

what you meant, and the New Moon reverse scene always gives me a sense of<br />

satisfaction and girl power. (Eat it Moody Edward!) Oh, and THANK YOU for<br />

the looooong reviews, I love reading them! Hope you like the special<br />

surprise!<br />

Crazyperson17: Thank you for the hugs! I'm glad to see your deducing<br />

skills at work with the story but it's not that simple… at least for me.<br />

Words-Of-A-Fallen-Angel: I'm not going to kill Bella. At least, I don't<br />

think. (I'm kidding! Or maybe not.)<br />

XlaraC: Er, Not in this chapter. Sorry.<br />

CarefullyiGuarded: He is evil, isn't he?<br />

LHNT: I had to! I'm sorry but it was essential and I had to think about<br />

what was going to happen next…<br />

PurplePrincess77: Thanks and I'll get to it soon!<br />

Lil-Blood-Sucker: I know, Bella's situation is a bad one.<br />

Alsin: Here's the chapter!<br />

Gothgirl: more as promised!<br />

Read on my friends!<br />

Oh, Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight otherwise Edward Cullen<br />

would not have been played by Rob P. I don't like him. Deal with it.<br />

- 274 -


RPOV (because she's most likely to be the meanest one) and her name<br />

isn't an "E". Ha.<br />

Ever since Bella had broken up with Edward 4 months ago, he's been a wreck.<br />

Edward was a mess that first night and we couldn't believe it until the next day<br />

when Bella didn't show up for school. I had stubbornly refused to believe she would<br />

do that until a month passed and then another month passed.<br />

Edward had grown to be a recluse. His original Bella-induced happiness had<br />

disappeared and he was now a literal walking dead.<br />

I was not only angry with Bella but I was devastated. Her presence seemed to<br />

have sucked part of our life force out. We were all affected by her absence.<br />

<strong>The</strong> worst part was that Trina and Moz were freaking out. We kept in touch with<br />

them but we made sure to meet in neutral places since Edward refused to be<br />

anywhere but school or his room.<br />

Trina had called frantically after a month, asking us where Bella was since she<br />

hadn't returned any of their calls.<br />

"You didn't hear?" Alice asked confused.<br />

"Hear what?" Trina asked.<br />

"Trina, Bella's gone. She picked up when we got back and totally split. She broke<br />

up with Edward and everything, telling him to not find her because she'd<br />

disappear."<br />

"What?" Trina screamed over the phone. We heard a click and suddenly, Moz was<br />

also on the line.<br />

"Tell me exactly what she did and said," Moz ordered over the phone.<br />

"She told Edward that the heist made her realize what was important, that she<br />

was leaving and that we shouldn't try to look for her because we would never find<br />

her," Alice told them.<br />

"That doesn't sound like the Bella I know," Trina breathed over the phone.<br />

"Well, it seems like you didn't know her as well as you did," I muttered lowly. Alice<br />

- 275 -


shot me a look and listened to Moz speak again.<br />

"I can't help but feel something's up with this. Bella's always told me where she<br />

was going but for her to leave quickly is just, downright odd."<br />

"Well, maybe she wants to go on a path that doesn't involve anyone she cares<br />

about," I told them. Alice elbowed me to be quiet but I could really care less.<br />

"I'll go check her house," Moz said and we could hear the jingle of keys and the<br />

slam of a door.<br />

"We'll update you," Trina said quietly and hung up the phone.<br />

We got a call from Moz and Trina a month later confirming the worst. Bella had<br />

not only gone, she had really disappeared.<br />

I knew why they called her <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong> but her nickname should have really been<br />

Spirit because she came into our lives silently, left an impression, and left just as<br />

quietly.<br />

It wasn't until today that we something happened that would forever change our<br />

lives.<br />

Emmett and I were playing Mario Kart, only because I had forced him to, when<br />

the house phone rang. I heard Esme walk toward it and answer it. Suddenly, we<br />

heard the phone drop and a sharp gasp from her. We were about to go to Esme<br />

when she sped over to the foyer.<br />

"Everybody downstairs NOW! And I mean EVERYONE!" she hollered. She ran<br />

back to the phone and motioned for us to gather around. Her announcement had<br />

rattled us so much that even Edward came down to see what had caused her to<br />

freak out.<br />

"You all need to listen," she said as she made eye contact with every single one of<br />

us, her gaze lingering on Edward the most.<br />

"Go ahead," Esme said clearly into the speakerphone. We heard a throat clear and<br />

a familiar voice come on.<br />

"I found something you guys need to hear. Bella is gone," he said with finality. We<br />

all huffed at the obvious but he continued.<br />

- 276 -


"But not in the way you think. She's been kidnapped."<br />

"Kidnapped? How?" Edward asked frantically as he rushed to the phone. This was<br />

the most emotion we'd seen out of him for a while.<br />

"Well, it seems that she really did leave on that day but it wasn't of her own<br />

volition. Tuna and Fish appeared at my house early this morning and I was<br />

surprised. Bella never leaves them behind unless they're being properly cared for."<br />

"What do Tuna and Fish have to do with Bella's disappearance?" I asked angrily. I<br />

loved the girls, but Moz was going in circles.<br />

"I was getting to that," Moz said annoyed. Edward shot me a glare and told Moz to<br />

continue.<br />

"Anyway, I was petting them when I saw something odd about their collars. When<br />

I looked closer, they had a note in them. <strong>The</strong>re were three letters and a paper with a<br />

four digit number. I think you guys should hear the letters."<br />

"Forget hearing them, can you bring them to us?" Edward asked desperately. <strong>The</strong><br />

whole family burst into shouts of agreement until Moz shouted for everyone to be<br />

quiet.<br />

"Fine, I'll be on my way then," he said as we heard a shuffle on his end.<br />

Those 20 minutes felt like a lifetime to every single one of us. Esme would have<br />

told us to stop pacing on her carpet so we wouldn't wear holes in them, but she was<br />

the one doing the most pacing.<br />

Edward was a wreck. He didn't know whether to be upset or revert back to his<br />

moping. He was sitting at the stairs; his hands gripping his hair, making it stand up<br />

every which way. <strong>The</strong>se letters could reveal what really went on with Bella and to<br />

tell the truth, I was a bit curious too.<br />

<strong>The</strong> one thought that went through my mind was why Bella had done this?<br />

"Believe me Rosalie, I'm still trying to figure that out as well," Edward chimed in<br />

from the stairs. He looked at me with haunted eyes and I had to turn away so I<br />

couldn't shiver from the sight of them. <strong>The</strong> sadness in them was raw and eerie. I just<br />

couldn't bear to see him like that.<br />

Finally, we heard a car pulling up. We all stood in the foyer, silent with<br />

- 277 -


anticipation. As soon as the car parked, I surprised everyone, even myself, by<br />

running out and meeting Moz at his car door.<br />

"Rosalie," Moz nodded at me. He opened the back door for Tuna and Fish and I<br />

gripped both of them to me. I guess I had missed Bella more than I realized.<br />

I stood up and pulled everyone inside, including Trina, whom I hadn't even seen.<br />

"So, I found these letters. Trina and I have already read ours and we decided it<br />

would be best if you read yours," Moz said as he handed us the letters. He walked<br />

over toward Edward and handed him a letter with his name on it.<br />

Carlisle got the other letter and he began to read.<br />

Dear Cullen family,<br />

If you're reading this, things didn't go as planned. I didn't mean to leave such<br />

turmoil after I'd left but I needed to get away so nothing bad happened to you. See,<br />

someone threatened me and though I know you guys can "take care" (you know<br />

what I mean) of yourselves, these people are not to be trifled with. Though I said<br />

other things to Edward, I meant one thing. Don't look for me. I'd rather put myself in<br />

harm's way than have any harm fall on any of you.<br />

I love you all. Please heed my warning. I'll always remember Esme's loving nature,<br />

Carlisle's leadership, Emmett's playfulness, Jasper's warmth, Alice's bubbliness, and<br />

Rosalie's strength. You are all the family I never had, Trina and Moz included.<br />

Love, Isabella "<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fox</strong>" Swan.<br />

We were all silent after that last part.<br />

"Anybody else felt as if this was a more of a 'last letter' situation?" Emmett asked<br />

after a while. We all gave grave nods.<br />

Had we lost Bella for good?<br />

EPOV (again, Edward)<br />

Everyone else had started to read their letter but I was still reeling from what I<br />

read.<br />

Bella's last letter went like this:<br />

- 278 -


Edward, my love,<br />

I wanted to apologize for being so harsh to you that day but I wanted to make sure<br />

you were safe. Believe me, if I had found another way, I would have taken it! I didn't<br />

mean ANYTHING I said; I love you with every fiber of my being. It was so hard<br />

saying those things to you but I meant it when I said Don't look for me. It was even<br />

harder to turn my back on you.<br />

This letter was never meant to reach you because I wanted to do this in person. I<br />

can't really express my feelings on this page (if I did, you'd be hot and bothered ;D),<br />

but I want to make sure that you know that I will NEVER, and I mean EVER, feel any<br />

different toward you. Be safe, and know that my heart is with you.<br />

Love, your Isabella.<br />

I had never felt so complete until I read that letter. It was like I was whole again,<br />

knowing that Bella was still in love with me.<br />

What I couldn't get wrapped around my mind was why we were all still sitting<br />

here.<br />

Seriously. Why were we all just sitting there?<br />

"Well? Aren't we going to do something?" I asked outraged as I shot out of my<br />

seat. Everyone looked at me with shock.<br />

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Alice in a defeated tone.<br />

"Well, we're vampires for goodness sake! We have to do something!" I shouted.<br />

<strong>The</strong> whole family looked at me wide eyed until I heard a throat clear.<br />

"Whaaaaa?" Trina said after a long silence.<br />

"Oh shoot, what I meant was that we're like vampires, not that we're actual<br />

vampires. I mean, how crazy would that be? It's not like we turn into bats and you've<br />

seen us eat people foo… I mean, food! Yep, plain old food! Besides where are our<br />

fangs? If you'll look in my mouth you'll see that I 'ohn ha' hang" I blabbered as I<br />

showed them my teeth.<br />

"Edward, chill. It all makes sense now," Moz said after shoving my mouth away.<br />

"Yep, it explains the bear," Trina said after nodding.<br />

- 279 -


"Who is it that you keep finding eating a bear?" Emmett exclaimed after a while.<br />

"Never mind that, I wanna know why you don't care," Jasper said.<br />

"Well, Bella trusted you and in my book, if Bella trusts you, she must think pretty<br />

highly of you. Besides, I don't think you eat humans. We're not going to tell anyway,<br />

we're con artist and we know how…"<br />

"To keep a secret, yes, we know," I said exasperatedly. "Ok, the secret is one more<br />

thing out of the way; I just want to know how we're going to rescue Bella."<br />

"Well, that's the problem. If these people meant harm to you guys, then they<br />

would definitely mean to do bad things to Bella. I don't know if she's even going to<br />

be alive at this point," Moz said sadly.<br />

I heard his words but I didn't care. If Bella was dead, I knew that I would have felt<br />

it.<br />

"Bella's still alive, I know it. Even if she isn't, we're at least going to try to find<br />

her. You said there were four numbers you found as well, can we see them?"<br />

"Yep," Moz said after he pulled it out. We all pooled our collective minds together<br />

to recognize what the four numbers meant.<br />

We weren't sure if it was a year, a date or a house number but after a while,<br />

Rosalie finally inhaled sharply and looked up with a sparkle in her eyes.<br />

"Coordinates!" she exclaimed. Emmett sped upstairs to get a map (making Moz<br />

say "Whoa, cool!") and came back down after a bit.<br />

He held a map of Washington down and found the coordinates.<br />

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" I shouted as I rushed toward the door. I<br />

scooped Moz up as Trina was carried by Alice and we ran to those coordinates.<br />

<strong>The</strong> only thought that went through my brain was 47 52.<br />

I flew through the trees the fastest I had ever gone in my life. Moz asked me some<br />

general questions about my diet on the way and any powers we had. I explained<br />

them all absentmindedly but he got the hint that this could probably wait for later.<br />

Even with the added weight, I got there first to the alley but there was nothing<br />

- 280 -


there. I put Moz down to search the alley but there was nothing there.<br />

"It's a dead end," I yelled to the others as they ran in. Everyone looked hopeless<br />

until Moz said something amazing.<br />

"Maybe not! I just found a phone here with something significant!"<br />

"It's just a lost phone, what does that tell us?" asked Rosalie.<br />

"It's not just any phone, it has a square within a square scratched on the back.<br />

That was the special insignia we made up when we were playing searching games,"<br />

Moz explained as he showed us the crude boxes.<br />

"How do you know it's from Bella?" Esme asked.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> tell-tale loop in the beginning. She has always done it," Moz said excitedly as<br />

he showed us. This little clue made me feel better.<br />

"Well, is there anything on the phone that could be useful to us?" Emmett asked.<br />

Moz scrolled through the phone and smiled.<br />

"Jackpot," he said as he showed us a text of different coordinates.<br />

"Well, we know who to blame now," Trina commented as she walked toward<br />

Rosalie.<br />

"Who?" Carlisle asked,<br />

"James, though I don't think I've ever heard of him," she explained as she hooked<br />

her feet around Rosalie's waist.<br />

"Well, we're about to get acquainted," I said as I walked towards Moz. Moz got on<br />

and adjusted himself on my back. I knew I couldn't get sidetracked but it felt really<br />

weird to have a dude on my back.<br />

"Get over it Edward," Jasper muttered from behind me.<br />

"Sorry," I muttered back and I ran to the new coordinates.<br />

When we got to the abandoned building, we hit a dead end.<br />

- 281 -


"Damn it!" Emmett shouted as he punched and left a hole in the wall. We couldn't<br />

believe it, the room was completely empty. It's as if nothing happened at all. Moz<br />

went around knocking on the walls to see if any of them were hollow but they all<br />

sounded solid.<br />

"This can't be it," Trina said as she sank down on a wall. <strong>The</strong> others sat down too<br />

as Moz and I stood in the middle of the room, looking around to see if there was any<br />

clue that Bella had left but after 20 minutes of fruitless searching, we decided to go<br />

home.<br />

"Aw man, I got dust all over my brand new pants," Rosalie grumbled as she stood<br />

up.<br />

"Ick, they're all over my jersey," Emmett said as he dusted it off.<br />

"I'll wash our clothes when we get home," Esme said as she dusted herself off.<br />

Moz watched Trina walk toward Alice when suddenly, he went to her and grabbed<br />

her butt. Talk about awkward.<br />

"Honey!" Trina said shocked. "We do not frisk in front of friends!"<br />

Moz ignored her and looked up at me with a big smile. What was he hoping for, a<br />

congratulations? I looked at him weirdly until I got the gist of what he was thinking<br />

and then I joined him to examine Trina's posterior.<br />

"Uh, this just got doubly awkward," Rosalie commented as she looked at Moz and<br />

me smiling maniacally at each other.<br />

"Don't you guys get it?" Moz told them as he pointed at his wife's back end.<br />

"Uh, she's got a nice S curve?" Alice asked.<br />

"No! She's got no dust on her pants!" I told the rest of the family.<br />

"And?" Jasper prompted.<br />

"No dust means that it hasn't been there for as long as the other ones have! That<br />

wall is clearly a fake!" Moz shouted as he ran toward the wall. We all ran over to<br />

find a weak point on the wall when Rosalie pushed a small dent inward.<br />

<strong>The</strong> wall shifted and then moved aside, letting a smell of warm air wash over us.<br />

- 282 -


<strong>The</strong>re was a narrow staircase that we all descended and a room at the far end of a<br />

tiny hallway. We walked in a single file until we all reached the room. We opened<br />

the door and what we found there left us all speechless.<br />

Even if we weren't vampires, the smell of blood was unmistakable and it was also<br />

apparent to us that it was Bella's blood.<br />

"Oh!" Trina gasped as she looked around. <strong>The</strong> blood was everywhere. <strong>The</strong> walls<br />

were splattered, the ceiling was sprayed, and the floor looked like a paint can was<br />

dropped. <strong>The</strong>re was a lone chair in the middle of the room, stained with dark spots.<br />

"What do you suppose happened here?" Esme asked horrified as she moved about<br />

the room and took in every blood stain as if it was a painting at an art gallery.<br />

"Bella was brought here under false pretenses. My guess is that she refused to do<br />

something and then she was tortured because of her decision. She hasn't changed<br />

her mind yet," Alice said as she placed her hand on the chair.<br />

"You can tell the past?" Trina asked as she moved toward her.<br />

"No, I just have a feeling. I do know for a fact Bella was tortured here because it<br />

smells like her blood and there was a clump of bloody brown hair stuck to the chair,"<br />

she told us as she chipped the piece off.<br />

If it was possible for me to cry, I would have done it. But right now, I needed to<br />

stay strong until I found my beloved. I would carry on until she was safe in my arms.<br />

It had been three weeks and we were no closer to finding Bella than we had<br />

before. Every new clue took us to a dead end and each time we saw more blood, our<br />

hearts would break a little more.<br />

I was going insane but I used that drive to help me look for Bella. It tore my heart<br />

to shreds to see all her blood spilled over every wall, ceiling, and floor of each<br />

building we went to. How much blood did one human body have?<br />

We were checking over our last location when Moz threw his hands in the air.<br />

"This room's absolutely clue free," he said with a hint of panic in his voice.<br />

"It can't be. Maybe we're just not looking hard enough," Rosalie said pleadingly. I<br />

knew she was taking Bella's disappearance hard because she had also been abused<br />

a long time ago by her fiancée. <strong>The</strong> monsters who took Bella seemed to enjoy<br />

- 283 -


torturing her every minute of every day.<br />

"It's true, her clues started dwindling and we only got here because of pure luck,"<br />

Alice said as she sank in a corner. Tuna and Fish were also laying down near Alice<br />

and they seemed exhausted.<br />

Reading the minds of everyone around me, I could tell that this was taking a toll<br />

on them. Every time we went into a building, it was a blow to each and everyone one<br />

of us but we kept it up so we could find Bella.<br />

"How are we ever going to find her?" Emmett said sadly. I couldn't stand to see<br />

Emmett like this because he had been trying hard to lift our spirits the entire way<br />

and it had worked. Seeing him like this made me feel like he was giving up and I<br />

couldn't bear that thought.<br />

"Of course we'll find her Emmett. Bella has foolproof ways of leaving clues for us.<br />

I mean, we've been searching around these states like we were in a James Bond<br />

movie," I told him with fake teasing. His eyes lit up with my effort to joke around.<br />

"Yeah, maybe Bella got so tired that all we need to do is tell her girls to look for<br />

her," he grinned at me. Thanks for that Edward, he thought at me. I turned to Tuna<br />

with a smile.<br />

"Can you go find Bella Tuna? Can you, girl? Go Tuna, go look!" I told her while<br />

pointing at the door. Tuna cocked her head but stayed lying down.<br />

"You're doing it wrong Edward," Emmett said with a tiny smile. "It's like this. Go<br />

girls, search!"<br />

"You oafs, you're both doing it wrong," Rosalie told us. She walked over to the<br />

girls and kneeled down to them. "Go girls, investigate!"<br />

"And you said they were wrong Rosalie?" Jasper chuckled from the door.<br />

"Maybe it's: Go girls, go run down Bella!" Esme said.<br />

"Hunt!" Carlisle tried.<br />

"Track down!" Trina giggled.<br />

"Quest!" Alice tried while looking at Tuna. <strong>The</strong>y still didn't move but they looked<br />

excited.<br />

- 284 -


"Inspect!" Moz said.<br />

"Scan!" I tried again.<br />

"Prospect!" Emmett tried.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y're looking for Bella, not gold," Rosalie giggled at her husband.<br />

"It was worth a shot. Find!" Carlisle shouted.<br />

"Ransack!" Trina smiled.<br />

"Seek!" Alice yelled.<br />

"Scour!" Jasper said.<br />

"Look!" Esme said.<br />

"Really Esme? That's the best you could think of? Edward already used that one,"<br />

Carlisle told her. She wasn't focused on him though; she was focused on Tuna and<br />

Fish.<br />

We all turned our heads to see that the girls had stood and looked ready to move.<br />

"What was the last word and who said it?" I shouted frantically.<br />

"It was scour!" Alice shouted as she pointed at Jasper.<br />

I walked to the girls and stood in front of them. <strong>The</strong>y looked up at me with trained<br />

eyes.<br />

"Girls, scour Bella," I told them. <strong>The</strong>y looked at each other, and then set off<br />

toward the door. Everyone looked at each other and then got into action.<br />

Was it really that easy?<br />

We followed Tuna and Fish for two days, resting when needed and moving as fast<br />

as we could. Emmett and I even took turns carrying them, only moving in the<br />

direction their heads turned.<br />

Finally, we walked into a populated area and went into a small neighborhood. <strong>The</strong><br />

houses started dwindling as we walked further but at the top of the hill, there was<br />

- 285 -


an old house. <strong>The</strong>re was some kids playing basketball on their driveway when they<br />

stopped at the sight of Tuna and Fish.<br />

"Is that a real mountain lion?" A young girl asked.<br />

"Well, it's not a tomato," grumbled Alice. I shot her a sharp look and turned to her.<br />

"Yeah, but she's real friendly. You can pet her if you like, see?"I showed her. <strong>The</strong><br />

girl moved toward Tuna and held her arm out.<br />

"She's so soft!" she exclaimed as Tuna purred.<br />

"She's a sweetheart all right. Her name is Tuna. <strong>The</strong> fox is Fish and I'm Edward," I<br />

told the girl.<br />

"I'm Alicia, nice to meet you guys."<br />

"Nice to meet you as well Alicia. Can you tell us about that house up there?"<br />

Alicia looked up to where the house was and turned pale.<br />

"It's a bad house," she said in a low voice.<br />

"How?" Rosalie asked as she walked up next to me.<br />

"At night, you can hear screams that are so unearthly, it gives every kid in the<br />

neighborhood goosebumps. It started a few years ago and no one ever spends the<br />

night there. Even the bullies know that the vampire shop is off limits."<br />

"Vampire shop?" Carlisle asked quizzically.<br />

"Yeah. Someone went to peek at the window and said there was a whole bunch of<br />

blood everywhere but now, the windows are tinted and the person disappeared. No<br />

one's been back since and we all steer clear of that place."<br />

"Have you heard any screams recently?" Jasper asked anxiously.<br />

"Yeah, how'd you know? Anyway, there was screaming before but now, it's<br />

quieter. You still hear it every now and then but it always happens at random times."<br />

"Thanks Alicia," I told her as we turned and walked back down the street.<br />

- 286 -


"No problem. Have a good night!" Alicia waved as she went back to her house. I<br />

could hear them talking about the girls but I had other things on my mind.<br />

"We need to form a plan," Moz said.<br />

"And how are going to do that?" Carlisle asked as he restrained Tuna and Fish<br />

from running toward the house.<br />

"Well, we're going to do something that Bella and I have been planning and<br />

practicing for years now," Moz said as he rummaged through his wallet for<br />

something.<br />

"And what would that be?" Emmett asked as Moz pulled a thin card out of his<br />

pocket.<br />

"This," he said as he touched a few numbers and the card transformed to a small<br />

screen. "It's something Bella and I called '<strong>The</strong> Extraction', mostly used in the case of<br />

either of us getting caught by someone unsavory."<br />

"You have an extraction plan?" Esme asked a bit appalled.<br />

"We're con artists, we're always going to have enemies," Moz shrugged as he<br />

showed us his plans. I had to admit that looking at his layouts and hearing his<br />

explanations, this might actually work.<br />

"So, we all down with the plan?" Moz asked after the last part of the plan was<br />

shown.<br />

We all looked at each other and I got one thought from most of my family. We<br />

might actually get Bella back unharmed.<br />

"Moz, you got yourself a crew," I told him as I stuck my hand out. He grinned and<br />

pumped my hand.<br />

"Great! Let's get working."<br />

So…. Bella's not saved yet but in my mind, the story ends like… (Ha. You<br />

thought I'd reveal the inner workings of my brain? Never! Sorry, I'm back<br />

from insanity now…)<br />

- 287 -


So, eventful and crazy huh? I tried to add a little humor to this macabre<br />

scene and I hope I did it well.<br />

I've devised a system. If it's EPOV, it's Edward and I'll just write out<br />

everybody else's "E" name.<br />

All right then! I'll keep writing the rest of this story when I can (apart<br />

from work, drawing, schoolwork, and finals) and post as soon as I can.<br />

I love the reviews you guys have been leaving and I look forward to seeing<br />

other people's comments!<br />

Until next time avid readers!<br />

- 288 -


Deceiving and Saving<br />

Eep! I have finished with classes and it is now time for Finals. I finished<br />

writing a paper for one class so I decided to write more for you all!<br />

Before you read any further: Check outForks Academy for special gifted<br />

studentsby StarStrellaStar. I was reading it and I got hooked. So while<br />

you're waiting for me, check out her story!<br />

You And Me Up In A Tree: You had me laughing and your argument was<br />

very persuasive. I was walking around in a trance because of it.<br />

Cullensbabymama7: Your wish is my command.<br />

CarefullyiGuarded: I didn't want it to be so awful but it's some heck of a<br />

suspense, isn't it?<br />

A-VampyGirl-In-A-WolfyWorld: Thank you so much! I was so flattered<br />

(gosh, you've made me blush!)<br />

HarryPotterLover: Thanks so much! As to your request, when I finish the<br />

story, I will write it if I have time. Great idea by the way, I hadn't thought of<br />

it. Oh, and schoolwork is important so I can graduate and get a job. Sorry,<br />

them's the tricks.<br />

XlaraC: Here it is!<br />

Gothgirl1245: Thanks!<br />

Words-of-A-Fallen-Angel: Thank you!<br />

For those of you who left rude comments, I won't reveal you but I will warn<br />

you. I do not take lightly to threats or nonsensical comments. Do NOT do it<br />

again.<br />

Well, back to a happy note, Here's the story!<br />

<strong>The</strong> plan was in place and after checking around; we found a pattern that the<br />

people had. We discovered early on that they're vampires because of the smell near<br />

- 289 -


the house.<br />

Rosalie and I were in place in the supermarket, standing near the paper towels<br />

when the girl who smelled like us came near.<br />

"So, when are we going to go play baseball?" Rosalie asked as in a conversational<br />

tone. She said it slightly low but loud enough for her to hear. To anyone else, we<br />

would have been having a normal conversation.<br />

"I don't know, we don't have an even number of players and you know how that<br />

is," I told her as we got closer to the red head. I turned to nod at her when the<br />

sunglasses I had on slipped down.<br />

"Edward, your glasses!" Rosalie hissed as they fell down with a clatter. <strong>The</strong> girl<br />

looked down at me and we made eye contact as I retrieved the glasses off the floor. I<br />

quickly put my sunglasses back on and gave the girl a wide smile.<br />

"Sorry, I have allergies," I told her. <strong>The</strong> red head gave a little smirk and turned to<br />

inspect some paper towels.<br />

"You disguised yourselves well. I couldn't even detect the vampire smell," the red<br />

head told us at vampire speed. Rosalie and I looked shocked and turned to the girl.<br />

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked her innocently. She gave us an annoyed glance<br />

and removed the glasses from her own face. <strong>The</strong>y looked like correction lenses but<br />

they made her have the appearance of regular human eyes.<br />

"How did you do that?" Rosalie asked surprised. I was a bit curious as well.<br />

"I have a friend with high tech gadgets and he whipped these up. Now, how did<br />

you manage to cover the smell up?" She asked as she slid the sunglasses back in<br />

place.<br />

"Oh, we're very careful in our endeavors. Humans tend to have overpowering<br />

smells on their clothing after a while," Rosalie told her with a smile.<br />

"Ah, noted. I heard your problems in baseball, perhaps my friends and I can join<br />

you?" she asked as she put some towels into her cart.<br />

"If you want to, you are more than welcome…" I trailed off.<br />

"Victoria," she supplied with a smile.<br />

- 290 -


"Ah, Victoria. Well this is Rosalie and I'm E…<br />

"Eric!" Rosalie interrupted. I looked at her weirdly but continued on.<br />

"Yes, Eric and we'd be delighted if you joined us tomorrow night."<br />

"Tomorrow?" Victoria asked.<br />

"Yes, we all have some… activities… to do. You know how it is," I gave her a<br />

conspiratorial smile. She got the gist and nodded.<br />

"Ah, well then, we shall see you tomorrow night. <strong>The</strong>re's a clearing three miles<br />

from here, past the tree that was struck by lightning. You have to run through the<br />

forest because it's pretty hidden but we'll make sure to leave some clues."<br />

"Until then!" Rosalie waved as we walked away with our groceries. We paid for<br />

them and got into the car.<br />

"Eric?" I asked her as we started leaving the store.<br />

"if Bella was trying to protect us from them, they probably already knew your<br />

name. <strong>The</strong>y may have only known yours since my name didn't register to her,"<br />

Rosalie explained. I nodded and kept driving.<br />

Halfway to the field, Rosalie started rubbing her eyes.<br />

"Ack, stupid contacts. I don't see why we both had to wear them," she complained<br />

as she opened her eyes wide.<br />

"We had to make sure that we were both covered if she wanted to believe we were<br />

human drinkers," I told her as I felt my red contacts dissolve. It bothered my eyes<br />

but I kept driving.<br />

"Well, it worked. Now, we have to get ready for tomorrow night's plan," Rosalie<br />

told me as she fixed her makeup in the mirror.<br />

"Yep. You ready?" I asked her as I turned onto the highway.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> question is if you will be ready," Rosalie told me quietly. I looked over to find<br />

her staring at her lap and avoiding my gaze.<br />

"What do you mean?" I asked her as I turned back toward the road.<br />

- 291 -


"Well, let's think about the facts Edward. We've found an astonishing amount of<br />

blood and I think we're going to find Bella a complete mess."<br />

"You don't think I know that Rosalie?" I snapped. Bella's clues had hit me but I<br />

didn't want to think about it anymore than I had to.<br />

"From the way you've been acting, it seems you expect her to be fine and dandy<br />

when we get her back," Rosalie told me angrily.<br />

"You don't think I know that?" I asked her with frustration.<br />

"I don't know, do you?" she asked with a snort.<br />

"I do!" I yelled as I turned to her. I was livid, breathing heavily at her and<br />

clenching the steering wheel. I turned back toward the road with my shoulders<br />

slumped but kept hold of the wheel.<br />

"I've been ignoring the facts because I know that when we find her, she won't be<br />

the same Bella. She's been through so much stuff that we can't even imagine and I<br />

hate to think about what her state will be like when we finally encounter her. She's<br />

going to be broken and it's going to devastate me because I wasn't able to stop it," I<br />

told Rosalie in a pained voice. I was choking back sobs and I pulled over after<br />

Rosalie demanded.<br />

"You will fix her Edward. She'll see you and know that everything will be good<br />

again because you're there to help her. What you two have is infinite and nothing<br />

will break that. We're going to get Bella and all will be well again, trust me on this,"<br />

Rosalie said as she held my face. I looked at her and broke down. Rosalie held me<br />

until I composed myself. I extracted myself from her protective hug and pulled back<br />

onto the road.<br />

"Thanks Rosalie, that helped a lot. You're the best sister ever," I told her as we<br />

were on the road to the field.<br />

"Whoa now, don't let anyone else get wind of this. I'll lose my reputation," she told<br />

me with a smile. I felt grateful toward her trying to cheer me up after comforting<br />

me.<br />

"I wouldn't want your reputation at stake," I told her sarcastically. She smiled<br />

wider and put a mock serious face on.<br />

"Good, we're at an agreement then."<br />

- 292 -


-Later on at the field-<br />

We arrived at the field and got to work on our plan. Suddenly, I was tackled from<br />

behind by a meteorite.<br />

"Ow! What in the sam heck was that?" I asked as I spit out tufts of grass and dirt. I<br />

moved to sit down but I got blindsided by three consecutive punches. I caught the<br />

hand the fourth time and looked at the body it was attached to.<br />

"Alice?" I asked her outraged.<br />

"Best sister ever?" she screeched.<br />

"Huh? Alice, can you stop trying to hit me?" I yelled as I blocked her punches. She<br />

was straddling me as she hit me so I wasn't able to get up.<br />

"Jasper? A little help with your wife?" I asked him as I blocked a slap to the face.<br />

"No can do Edward, you really pissed her off this time," he said as he held a<br />

boulder up in the air for Esme.<br />

"How about an apology?" Alice grunted as I kept her face away from me. She was<br />

now attempting to choke me. Useless, but I still didn't want her to attempt it.<br />

"I'm sorry for liking Rosalie," I yelled at her.<br />

"Hey!" Rosalie said from across the field. She was putting torches into the ground<br />

and threw a rock at us.<br />

"I guess that'll do," Alice said grumpily. She stood and helped me up. I was<br />

dusting myself off when she shoved my face into the ground.<br />

"What was that for?" I asked as I cleaned my mouth of mud once again.<br />

"That was for not liking Rosalie and me equally. Girl power," she said as she gave<br />

a passing Rosalie a dainty fist bump. I sighed and got to work on the field.<br />

We worked until the morning and covered our smell up. We spent the rest of the<br />

day in the mountains of the next state, making their deer population a little bit<br />

smaller.<br />

As soon as it was twilight, we ran back to meet them as we got ready with our<br />

- 293 -


newly made contact lenses.<br />

We ran into the field to see Victoria with two other men, one a dark skinned man<br />

with dreadlocks and the other with blond hair tied at the nape of his neck.<br />

"Glad to see you again," Victoria told Rosalie and me with a smile.<br />

"Nice to see you as well," I nodded back at her.<br />

"Wow, new people?" she said as she looked behind me.<br />

"Yes. This is Esme and Carl, Ally and Jay, and my husband Emmett. Of course, you<br />

already know Eric and me," Rosalie said as she pointed everyone out. Victoria<br />

looked surprised after Rosalie pointed out Emmett as her husband since she thought<br />

I was Rosalie's mate. Ew.<br />

"Oh. Eric's… alone?" Victoria asked with interest. I could tell from her thoughts<br />

that Victoria was jealous of James spending time with his "pet".<br />

I tried really hard not to knock her head off right there. It would be rude.<br />

"Ah, yes I am. I'm still looking for my other half," I told her truthfully. She pouted<br />

at what I said but shrugged as if she didn't expect to me to consider her as a<br />

potential mate in the first place.<br />

"You had that 'taken' feel about you. Anywho, this is Laurent and this is James,"<br />

Victoria said as she pointed them out. James had a very sinister feel to him and I felt<br />

very uneasy around him.<br />

"Shall we play ball?" James asked with a smile. We all nodded and took our<br />

positions.<br />

We were almost done with our game when Jasper said something.<br />

"Hey Eddie, better get your game face on," he taunted at me. I was about to retort<br />

when I realized I wasn't supposed to answer to Eddie since I was Eric. James' face<br />

turned from happy to understanding and his face turned cold.<br />

"I knew you smelled familiar," he said before breaking out into a run. I could see<br />

that he was running toward Alice for some kind of hostage situation but she was one<br />

step ahead of him.<br />

- 294 -


"Now!" Emmett yelled as Rosalie took out four knives from her pockets and threw<br />

them with precision at Victoria. <strong>The</strong> knives exploded in midair, with ropes<br />

connecting with each end. Victoria was tied to the rocks and was watching her<br />

partners get trapped. She didn't even have time to register what was happening,<br />

much less protect herself.<br />

Laurent had tried running but three giant bear traps sprang to life, cutting his<br />

feet off and making him slam into the ground. When he tried to get up, shackles rose<br />

and slammed around his wrists.<br />

Alice had moved out of the way just in time for James to plow headfirst into Jasper.<br />

Jasper flipped him around and slammed him into the ground face first. Alice was<br />

there to wrap the special ropes around him.<br />

"That's the best you could do?" James chuckled as we sat them all together.<br />

"Ropes, shackles and bear traps. How barbaric and simple," Victoria told us with a<br />

smile.<br />

"Didn't you realize that we could get out of them easily?" Laurent asked with a<br />

yawn as he flexed his arm. A look of confusion crossed his face and he flexed again.<br />

After seeing Laurent struggle, James and Victoria also tried to get out of their<br />

bindings.<br />

"What witchcraft is this?" Victoria hissed as she wriggled in her ropes.<br />

"Seriously? Where are you from, the 1800s? Who speaks like that anymore?"<br />

Jasper asked her as he shook his head.<br />

"Oh humor them Jasper, maybe it will make things more entertaining," Alice said<br />

as she plopped down in front of them.<br />

"Ok," Emmett grumbled before clearing his throat.<br />

"Wherefore hast thou hidden our friend? Thy freedom for privied informa… Yeah, I<br />

can't do this," Emmett said after a bit. We were chuckling at his haughty accent as<br />

he was speaking but Victoria didn't find it as funny.<br />

"It's a special invention that we helped manufacture. No vampire can escape it," I<br />

told them as they struggled more against their hold.<br />

- 295 -


"What do you want?" Laurent asked as he settled back against the rocks.<br />

"That's simple. We have some friends that can help us," Esme said as she pointed<br />

toward the trees. All three peered but turned their heads back to us.<br />

"We don't see anything. Is this some type of joke?" James asked annoyed.<br />

"Not at all James, or should I say Jimmy?" Moz spoke from behind him.<br />

"Ah, Moss. Nice to hear your voice again," James said with a bored tone.<br />

"It's Moz, with a Z. I would say it's nice to see you but I've always hated your guts.<br />

I should have known it was you who was behind me but, Oops! Silly me, I was too<br />

busy ruling you out because I thought you were dead!" Moz shouted at James.<br />

"Well, vampirism can do that," James said with a smile.<br />

"Tell me where she is," Moz growled.<br />

"Never," James said maliciously.<br />

"Moz?" Trina tapped Moz on the shoulder as he breathed angrily.<br />

"What is it hon?"<br />

"We already know where Bella is, remember?" she asked as she smoothed a hand<br />

over his back. James's face went from smug to surprised in the blink of an eye.<br />

"What?" James asked with a horrified gasp.<br />

"Oh yeah, I guess I just got into interrogator mode hon. Sorry, I wasn't thinking.<br />

You guys can kill them now," Moz said as the three started panicking.<br />

"Surely we can work something out!" Victoria pleaded as she thrashed against her<br />

hold.<br />

"Nope, but I'll take your comment under consideration," Moz said disinterestedly.<br />

James had looked angry for a bit but he was strangely immobile afterward.<br />

"It wasn't even our idea! James was the mastermind behind all this! He threatened<br />

the girl with…"<br />

- 296 -


"Quiet!" James hissed, cutting off Laurent mid-sentence. Laurent glared at him<br />

and continued.<br />

"He threatened to kill all of you guys and torture you in front of her if she didn't<br />

comply in Britain," Laurent finished angrily.<br />

"So you followed us. Not surprising," Trina said.<br />

"But stooping to threats of torture? That's low James, even for you. Let me guess,<br />

you threatened to tear us apart limb from limb in front of her so she could have our<br />

screams ingrained in her memory forever?" Moz asked in a mocking tone.<br />

"You got it verbatim," I told Moz with a grin. James turned his head toward me<br />

and recognition dawned on him.<br />

"You read minds," James said with shock.<br />

"Ah, congratulations sir," Alice told him in an announcer voice.<br />

"Yes, enough with the congratulations. This is the part where we uphold the<br />

promise you made to Bella. Hope you enjoyed knowing your friends and your new<br />

life James, because it will be a short dream after this," Moz told him as he motioned<br />

to Emmett and Jasper with a flick of his hand.<br />

At that moment, Victoria and Laurent were engulfed in flames, screaming with<br />

pain until after a few minutes, their screams went quiet. James had his face<br />

contorted into a mask of horror until he turned to us.<br />

"So what does that mean for me? Am I next?" He asked in a more composed but<br />

shaky voice.<br />

"Huh, there must be another mind reader in our midst," I said sarcastically.<br />

"Well," James grinned as he settled back against the rocks. "With all your mind<br />

reading ability, it's a surprise you didn't figure out the part where I escape."<br />

"And how were you planning on doing that?" I asked him.<br />

"Like this," James said as he sprang up and did a back flip onto the boulder behind<br />

him. He landed on his feet and jumped over the ropes to bring his hands to the front.<br />

As we got into action, he brought out a device from his pocket.<br />

- 297 -


"Don't move or you're all dead," he told us as he pointed the thing at everyone.<br />

"And what would that be?" Rosalie asked annoyed.<br />

"It's a specialized flame thrower that James devised in case Laurent or Victoria<br />

crossed him. It works too," I told everyone.<br />

"Ah, thank you Edward. Now that we know what it is, I must warn you. If you try<br />

to follow me, I will blow up Bella and your search would have been all for nothing."<br />

James said with a smirk. He watched all of us until he disappeared behind the trees.<br />

"He's going to hurt Bella again!" Trina said in a panic. We all looked at her with a<br />

grin.<br />

"What's wrong with you guys? He just left and you're not even going to try to stop<br />

him?" she yelled as she started toward the trees.<br />

"Relax Trina, we thought of this ahead of time." Alice told her as she plopped<br />

down on the boulder next to her.<br />

"How can she relax?" Moz asked as he comforted his wife.<br />

"Have you realized who's not here?" Rosalie asked as she inspected her nails. Moz<br />

and Trina looked around until it hit them.<br />

"Carlisle and Esme!" Trina gasped.<br />

"Yep. Esme acted as if it was too much to bear watching the violence and left<br />

while fake sobbing. <strong>The</strong>y ran to the house and are waiting for us now," Alice told<br />

them as she picked Trina up.<br />

"That's incredible!" Moz whispered as he walked toward me.<br />

"Shall we go get our Bella?" I asked him.<br />

"Yes," he smiled and he hopped into my arms. I smiled back and I ran as fast as I<br />

could to the house where my angel was being kept in.<br />

We got to the house to find it empty.<br />

"Esme? Carlisle? Where are you guys?" Emmett hollered as he walked in. we<br />

walked throughout the house until we reached a hallway where the light was on.<br />

- 298 -


<strong>The</strong>re were steps leading down wards and there were sounds coming from the<br />

basement.<br />

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Alice said as we walked toward the door.<br />

We heard a muffled thump and a whimper, causing us all to rush downstairs to find<br />

the basement completely pitch black.<br />

"Esme? Carlisle? Where are you?" Alice asked in a whisper. I was about to reach<br />

for my flashlight when the light came on and what we saw shocked us all.<br />

"I'm glad you could join us," James said as Esme, Carlisle and Bella sat tied up and<br />

gagged in front of him.<br />

Whoa! New twist! Ah, this story has more turns than a roller coaster.<br />

Anyway, I was originally going to make this chapter longer but I wanted to<br />

fix up the last part I wrote.<br />

Don't worry though, I will post within this week.<br />

For those who were too antsy, remember that patience is a virtue, I have<br />

other things to do, and being annoying will not motivate ANYONE. I can take<br />

criticism just not "HURRY UP".<br />

Drop me a line though! I look forward to your rants about the cliffhanger<br />

XD.<br />

- 299 -


Surprises In Store<br />

Hey guys! So I did some mad writing and reviewing and I'm pretty happy<br />

with this chapter.<br />

This is the second to last chapter, meaning my story will be over in the<br />

next chapter! (Cue violin music)<br />

Anyway, Shout outs for all the lovely reviewers!<br />

Crazyperson17: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, and is that song by<br />

<strong>The</strong> Ready Set?<br />

You And Me Up In A Tree: I left you speechless? Whoa….<br />

Cullensbabymama7: shame on Emmett :D and girl power is very necessary.<br />

A-VampyGirl-In-A-WolfyWorld: That's one of my fave lines too and thanks<br />

so much, that comment made me feel better. I actually went over this<br />

chapter again to include your idea. I was like "Oh, holy *&%!"<br />

Words-Of-A-Fallen-Angel: Thanks! I didn't intend for Victoria to be silly<br />

but it happened.<br />

DestinyVampSerena: Ooh! Cookie for me? *squeal!* I know, mean to leave<br />

a cliffy but I had to make this chapter better. I hope it is…<br />

HarryPotterLover: Thanks, sorry, and no problem! <strong>The</strong> request was good.<br />

Kawaiigrlmari: She would have except James had fire power and I didn't<br />

want Esme hurt…<br />

Gothgirl1245: Here you go!<br />

SkittleE: I totally disagree. I just don't get Batman. I'm happy when the<br />

Joker tries to defeat him… Love the gadgets he has though.<br />

BookAHolic965: Thanks!<br />

All righty, Read on my people! I'm working on the final chapter. It will be<br />

- 300 -


longer than this one.<br />

"Surprised? Don't be. I caught up with your two accomplices because they took<br />

the long way. I know a shortcut and caught them just before they escaped with little<br />

Bella here," he said as he stroked Bella's cheek.<br />

Bella flinched away from his touch and I looked at her for the first time in over<br />

five months.<br />

Bella's appearance had changed drastically.<br />

Her hair had become stringy and her face was gaunt. She had on the clothes I had<br />

last seen her with and it was apparent that she was just doused with water until she<br />

no longer smelled. Her eyes were dull but there was something that worried me<br />

more.<br />

Through the rips of her clothes and every visible part of her body, there were bite<br />

marks everywhere. <strong>The</strong> bites were big ones, little ones, and even ones that looked<br />

like they ripped her skin off. <strong>The</strong> worst part is that they were all criss-crossing each<br />

other and they made Jasper look as if he endured nothing.<br />

Bella made eye contact with me and as I stared into her glazed brown eyes. For<br />

just an instant, I thought they had showed a fierce determination and I could have<br />

sworn I heard her sweet voice say trust me, but when I looked at her again, she<br />

remained the same as we had found her.<br />

"You monster!" Trina yelled as she struggle against Moz holding her back.<br />

"You wouldn't want to threaten me while I'm holding your friends captive," James<br />

teased as he held a knife against Bella's throat. Bella moved her head upward but<br />

her expression remained the same.<br />

"What do you want James?" I asked him angrily. He moved directly behind Bella's<br />

chair and pushed her into the dark. We heard a gurgle and a crash as her chair<br />

landed out of sight.<br />

"Ah, ah, ah," James stopped us before we moved toward where Bella was. "Move<br />

and I'll set you all on fire."<br />

"What do you want?" Jasper growled as he moved in front of Alice.<br />

- 301 -


"I want the mind reader and the future teller. I have no use for the emo," James<br />

said as he waved a dismissive hand at Jasper. Jasper growled but James silenced him<br />

by pointing the flame thrower at his face.<br />

Emo? Jasper thought angrily. I shook my head at him to reassure him and he<br />

decided to shake off the comment.<br />

"What use do you have for them?" Rosalie asked. She was trying to dismiss our<br />

powers but James knew better.<br />

"Well, I'm trying to create a new mate since you all burned the last one to ashes."<br />

"That's all you want? A mate? Why did you kidnap Bella then?" I asked him.<br />

"Well I wanted her as a mate but she's 'in love' with you," he said annoyed.<br />

"Smart girl," Moz said.<br />

"I'm also going to procure the largest treasure the world knows and I need their<br />

help to help me pull it off. After all the stealing and the money acquired, I'm going to<br />

do something no other vampire has tried to do: overthrow the Poultry," James said<br />

with a devious smile.<br />

We all glanced at each other.<br />

"Ah, so you don't like them as much as I thought you did. That will make them<br />

easier to destroy," James said pleased.<br />

"What have chickens ever done to you? I mean, I get that they don't taste good to<br />

you guys but us humans still enjoy their taste," Moz said confusedly. We were all<br />

wondering the same thing.<br />

"What? No! <strong>The</strong> Poultry! You know the feared adversaries to all vampires?" James<br />

said in frustration. That's when what he said registered to everyone.<br />

"Do you mean <strong>The</strong> Volturi?" I asked James. He huffed in exasperation and rolled<br />

his eyes.<br />

"Yeah, whatever. <strong>The</strong> Volturi will be overthrown and I will be king!" James said as<br />

he stood in a pose.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> Volturi are royalty for a reason," Jasper told James.<br />

- 302 -


"And what reason do they have besides being older than everyone?" James asked<br />

us bored.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>y have vampires with special skills that can make whatever we do look like<br />

simple tricks," Alice told him.<br />

"Well I'm not going to be bested by anyone, especially by those raisins," James<br />

said as he waved a hand in the air. At that point, we realized that he had<br />

absentmindedly put the flame thrower down, making him unprotected.<br />

Alice was the first to strike, jumping so fast that James didn't have time to react<br />

properly. Alice wrapped her tiny body at the top half of James, trying to remove his<br />

head as Rosalie knocked the flamethrower to the other side of the room, causing it<br />

to clink on the far wall.<br />

Moz and Trina both took it upon themselves to help Alice by grabbing onto James<br />

but he swatted Trina away and tore at Moz's hand with his mouth.<br />

Trina hit the far wall with a sickening crunch and Moz collapsed onto the floor in a<br />

bloody mess.<br />

Jasper was about to intervene when we heard a sick "Crunch" coming from James<br />

and Alice. Alice froze, causing everyone else to freeze as well.<br />

Alice dropped to the floor to reveal James in a frozen pose. His head slid forward<br />

and dropped onto the floor with a thump. His torso collapsed and Bella stood behind<br />

him with a knife in her hands. Tuna and Fish were also holding a chunk of legs from<br />

James as they stood next to Bella.<br />

"That's for being a pompous ass," she snarled and she collapsed as well.<br />

BPOV<br />

I heard screaming and frantic voices as I laid on the floor. I had endured so much<br />

crap that all I wanted was some sleep.<br />

I knew I was safe since I had seen Edward's face. Everything would be all right as<br />

long as he was there.<br />

When I heard Emmett's voice, I almost cried from happiness. It broke my heart<br />

when they saw me sitting on the chair as I had been for the past few weeks. I had<br />

lost track of time and it felt like I hadn't seen their faces in over a year.<br />

- 303 -


<strong>The</strong>y weren't supposed to be here but I couldn't care less.<br />

<strong>The</strong> biggest highlight was seeing Edward's gorgeous face. How I had longed for<br />

him to show up. For every whip that I was hit with, every bite that I endured, every<br />

time the venom coursed through me, I focused on Edward's angelic face and took<br />

everything in silence.<br />

Screaming didn't do any good so after a while, I stopped.<br />

I always gave them a grim smile when it was time for the hourly questioning and it<br />

creeped them out every time.<br />

When they told me they were going to go play baseball with and Eric and Rosalie,<br />

I couldn't help but hope that it was them.<br />

Esme and Carlisle had just about found me and were working on untying the<br />

ropes until James showed up and demonstrated how his device worked on a nearby<br />

chair.<br />

He tied them up with the ropes I had invented with vampire venom and gagged<br />

them as well.<br />

When James threw me aside, the metal chair they had dragged me in through all<br />

the hideouts broke and I gave a grunt of pain to remove my bound hands from<br />

behind my back.<br />

I quickly got to work on untying my hands and procured the knife I had stolen<br />

from Esme's pocket. I had heard the commotion that had happened after the lengthy<br />

monologue James gave when I decided to sneak up on him. Tuna and Fish had<br />

managed to sneak in as well and were moving silently beside me.<br />

I had given Tuna and Fish some hardening tooth protectors so they could help me<br />

out because I knew I was too weak to do it myself.<br />

I got up just in time to see Trina's body collapse from the impact of her hitting the<br />

wall and Moz endure an agonizing vampire bite that tore at his flesh. I had received<br />

a couple of ripped skin bites from the three vampires during my hostage time and I<br />

knew how painful it was.<br />

I saw Alice struggling to hold on but I knew she wouldn't last much longer. James<br />

had hit her with a stun gun type of gadget but my girls tore through his legs with a<br />

sickening crunch. I took that opportunity to slice his head off at the exact same<br />

- 304 -


moment. When they both collapsed, I couldn't hold on anymore and fell as well.<br />

Eep! A final Bella POV! Whoa, she's fierce. I love, love, LOVE this Bella<br />

because she kicks ass.<br />

My favorite line was the poultry line... James is such a dummy.<br />

If I write another story (and I probably will), you will never find Bella as<br />

the damsel pansy. She'll be independent. Edward will also be sillier because<br />

he's so much fun to write like that.<br />

So, write to me and I'll geek out over what all of you have to say. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

truly make my day. So if you guys will excuse me, I must delve into my story<br />

zone… It's full of keyboard clicks…<br />

- 305 -


Finally, Our forever<br />

Aw… It's the final chapter. Aren't you guys as sad as I am?<br />

It's been a fun journey and I wish it could have been longer but all things<br />

must come to an end.<br />

Here's some final shout outs to the lovely reviewers:<br />

Star Strella Star: No problem, seriously. I never got why Bella got all self<br />

conscious when he glared. My first reaction would've been "you motherf***"<br />

and then scowled back. I love your story too! I was reading it but then my<br />

internet failed and I literally screamed out "NOOOOO!"<br />

You And Me Up In A Tree: I'm seriously going to miss every one of your<br />

reviews. Lol, the emo... I almost wrote Vulture instead of Poultry but hunger<br />

won over sense.<br />

A-VampyGirl-In-A-WolfyWorld: Thanks about the poultry line, I was<br />

hungry too did but it isn't mentioned<br />

Cullensbabymama7: Thanks! Hooray for badass Bella!<br />

Crazyperson17: Lol, well thanks anyway even if you don't remember!<br />

Music Loving Bookworm: Well, James will always be stupid in my book.<br />

Ragan: Thanks so much and yes, it is Neal. By the way, I had not seen that<br />

Chuck Norris joke. Hilarious!<br />

ChuckNorris Obsessed: I had so much fun googling Chuck Norris jokes :)<br />

Cool Person: Well, you were half right for the ending.<br />

Anna Brooks: Thanks so much! Who doesn't love a flustering Edward?<br />

Cottencandy26: Yeah, I tried really hard to make James an idiot.<br />

Words-Of-A-Fallen-Angel: Thanks! I love their personalities here... and I'm<br />

working on a story but it's completely different from this one.<br />

- 306 -


Kaylen: Here's the end.<br />

XlaraC: Thanks!<br />

Vanquish13: Aw shucks, thanks!<br />

Maddielove4: Thank you!<br />

deathfearsnone: thanks!<br />

HarryPotterLover: Thanks but this isn't as long as you want it to be.<br />

And now, read on!<br />

Oh, Stephenie Meyer owns these characters but this plot is all mine. I'm<br />

just borrowing them. Kinda like a library book.<br />

EPOV<br />

I don't know how long Bella had been sleeping but her relaxed pose told me that<br />

the worst was over. It was only a matter of time.<br />

Trina and Moz had come back from the woods, laughing as they picked leaves out<br />

of their hair. <strong>The</strong> sky was a hue of light blue from the sunrise as they came into the<br />

room I was in and kissed Bella's cheeks.<br />

"Got some fresh mountain lion for you buddy, not Tuna of course," he told me with<br />

a smile.<br />

"Thanks," I told him as I took the thermos from him. Trina looked at me and I had<br />

trouble looking into her eyes.<br />

That day, everything had gone so fast we didn't even register that Trina and Moz<br />

were hurt. We had to turn them quickly because of their severe injuries. Moz had<br />

already begun the transformation after James had bit him but Trina was almost<br />

fading into death until Rosalie made the split decision to bite her.<br />

"How much longer?" Trina asked as she moved Bella's hair out of the way.<br />

"Almost but she should be awake since she has finished healing but she hasn't<br />

- 307 -


woken yet," I told her. She nodded and traced Bella's face with her finger.<br />

Moz and Trina were knockouts. <strong>The</strong>y had been pretty good looking before but now<br />

they were gorgeous.<br />

I looked over Bella once again. She had become so beautiful but I still felt guilty.<br />

That day, we also had to change Bella as well.<br />

As soon as Bella collapsed, her heart started getting weaker and we saw the toll<br />

that the vampire venom had taken on her. We discovered that she had so much<br />

blood drained from her that her body was having trouble functioning.<br />

We had a few scares as we transported Bella. Her heart would stop at random<br />

times and we waited those heartbreaking seconds until we heard a faint beat.<br />

Carlisle had told me at one point that her heart wouldn't last anymore so I had to<br />

make decision. After Bella's heart had stopped for nearly a minute, I broke and bit<br />

her. Her blood was delicious, like ambrosia nectar specially designed for me.<br />

It took me a bit to stop but I pulled away and she started to go through the<br />

change.<br />

Moz and Trina had woken up two weeks ago and had transitioned to vampire life<br />

nicely. <strong>The</strong>y never complained about the taste of animals and they checked in on<br />

Bella every day. Tuna and Fish also took a part in Bella's rescue, acting as guardians<br />

until they were sure she was safe. <strong>The</strong>y stayed on the table next to her and took<br />

turns going to the bathroom.<br />

How they got the toilet to flush, I'll never know.<br />

<strong>The</strong> family also checked in on Bella and Alice had been excited that Bella wasn't<br />

awake to veto her decisions to dress Bella up. What we didn't know was that Bella's<br />

powers reacted even in her unconscious state.<br />

As soon as Alice came at Bella with an ice blue cocktail dress, a bubble encircled<br />

Bella and knocked Alice back a few feet.<br />

We had initially freaked out until we realized that it was only Alice that it was<br />

blocking. As soon as Alice sarcastically asked if Bella was comfortable with jeans<br />

and a t-shirt, the bubble was let down.<br />

Carlisle was in awe. He had never seen a reaction like that and he studied Bella's<br />

- 308 -


defenses. He soon discovered that if someone came at Bella with bad intentions, the<br />

bubble formed and the people bounced off the bubble. <strong>The</strong> fascinating thing was<br />

that if there were people without bad intentions, they could make their way inside<br />

the bubble.<br />

We didn't know if Bella had any other powers but her physical shield was an<br />

astounding development.<br />

Alice waltzed in with a pair of jeans, a brown studded tank top and some<br />

accessories.<br />

"Jeans and a nice tank, Bella. Oh, and some cute heels," she said as she walked<br />

tentatively toward Bella. She threw a pebble and walked in once she saw there was<br />

no shield.<br />

"You don't have to pelt her with pebbles Alice," I told her as I picked the rock up<br />

and threw it outside.<br />

"It's better than smashing into it headfirst. I don't see why I'm the only one it<br />

works on repeatedly. It even hurts," she grumbled as she set everything on a chair<br />

and got her supplies ready.<br />

"You're the only one who complains Alice," I told her as I helped her set up.<br />

"Oh whatever," she griped. "Go away while I get your girlfriend all pretty."<br />

"You know I could help you out Alice," I told her as she pushed me out the door.<br />

"I'm sure your perverted self would want to take advantage of your incapable<br />

girlfriend but I have morals Edward," she told me. I whipped my head around to her.<br />

"That's not what I meant!" I told her hurriedly.<br />

"Yeah, I'm sure," Alice rolled her eyes as she slammed the door in my face.<br />

"Trying to put the moves on Bella when she's not awake? That's a bit creepy Ed,<br />

I'm not sure I approve," Moz told me as he walked by. I glared at him as he turned<br />

the corner and waited until the door opened.<br />

Alice had taken it upon herself to get Bella clean while she was incapable sine<br />

Bella saved her life. She didn't even mind that Bella only wanted to wear jeans and a<br />

t-shirt.<br />

- 309 -


30 minutes later, Alice opened the door and I rushed in to see Bella. She was in a<br />

studded brown tank top and jeans. She had on a delicate necklace and some killer<br />

heels that did a wonder to her legs.<br />

"You're welcome," Alice smirked as she saw me appreciating the heels. Bella<br />

looked stunning but I couldn't wait for her to wake up.<br />

It was around three in the afternoon when Alice flashed into the room.<br />

"What is it?" I asked her as I flipped my page.<br />

"Two minutes!" she yelled and the whole room filled up to see Bella wake up.<br />

We counted the seconds down silently until I saw her stir. I squeezed her finger<br />

and moved closer.<br />

"Bella?" I whispered as I poked her shoulder.<br />

"Did…" she whispered as her head turned the slightest.<br />

"Did what, Bella?" Alice asked quietly. Bella's head moved around a bit more until<br />

her eyes opened the slightest bit. She turned her head toward me with closed eyes<br />

and asked a question I wasn't expecting.<br />

"Did you just poke me?" she asked hoarsely. I looked at her confusedly until I<br />

chuckled.<br />

"Yeah, sorry Love. How do you feel?" I asked her as I moved her wet hair away<br />

from her face.<br />

"Like I took the best nap of my life," she said as she stretched. I couldn't help but<br />

let my eyes wander to her belly when her tank top rose as she stretched her arms<br />

up.<br />

"Ahem, we're still here," Jasper muttered. I looked down embarrassed until I felt<br />

warm fingers bring my face up. I gasped in astonishment at her eyes. Instead of<br />

them being the standard red color, they were the most vibrant shade of green with a<br />

rim of orange around the pupil and various streaks of turquoise in the green.<br />

"Bella, your eyes," I whispered as I looked at them. She looked up and everyone<br />

gasped as well. <strong>The</strong>y were so striking that it was impossible not to stare.<br />

- 310 -


"Quit it," Bella told us as she wrinkled her nose at us. Rosalie moved closer and<br />

said something that everyone was thinking.<br />

"You're so cute!" she cooed at Bella. Bella rolled her eyes at what she said and<br />

huffed. Rosalie flew to the other side of the room and had trouble moving.<br />

"Why can't I get down?" Rosalie asked as she struggled against the invisible force.<br />

Emmett walked over and tried to get her down to no avail.<br />

"You're stuck up there pretty good sweetheart," he said as he dangled from her<br />

feet. He let go, dropped to the floor and looked up at her quizzically.<br />

"Let me guess, that would be you doing that Bella," Moz said as he crossed his<br />

arms over his chest. Bella looked at him sheepishly and nodded as she bit her lip.<br />

She focused her gaze on Rosalie until she rapidly regained gravity. Right before<br />

Rosalie slammed onto the floor; she froze an inch off the ground and floated down<br />

gently.<br />

Rosalie looked livid and walked angrily up to Bella.<br />

"Never do that again," she hissed as she waggled a finger at Bella. Bella raised<br />

her eyebrow and Rosalie's posture went slack. After a bit, Bella smirked and looked<br />

at everyone behind Rosalie.<br />

"Stop that!" Rosalie yelled as she got back control of her body.<br />

"Bella, do you have an inkling of what your powers might be?" Carlisle asked from<br />

the wall. Bella scrunched up her face and shook her head a little.<br />

"I suppose it's some form of telekinesis and the mental mind block, right?"<br />

"Yes, but you also have a physical barrier as well. You nearly knocked poor little<br />

Alice out on more than one occasion," Carlisle added. Bella mumbled an apology to<br />

Alice but Alice waved it off.<br />

"So, why did you guys turn me into a vampire? I mean, I'm grateful but I'm<br />

confused," Bella told us as she examined her new skin bouncing lights around the<br />

room.<br />

"You mean you don't remember what happened to you?" Esme asked in a shocked<br />

voice.<br />

- 311 -


"Something happened?"<br />

"Yeah Bells, you got kidnapped," Emmett told her.<br />

"By whom?" She asked us with wide eyes. We all glanced at each other worriedly.<br />

How could she not remember?<br />

"By Jimmy and his buddies hon," Moz told her as he got closer.<br />

"What happened to your eyes Moz?" Bella gasped as she ran a hand down his face.<br />

He caught her hand and looked deep into her eyes.<br />

"Try to remember Bella," he pleaded. She sat back and shook her head slowly.<br />

"I don't… Oh!" she gasped suddenly. Her face went into the blank stare we had<br />

found her in and after 5 minutes of her staring into space, her body went slack.<br />

I rushed over to her side and the family crowded around her. She focused her eyes<br />

on me and whispered "I remember."<br />

"What exactly do you remember Bella?" Rosalie asked her.<br />

"Everything. <strong>The</strong> threats, the beatings, the excruciating pain that I felt when they<br />

bit me and let the venom run through my veins a bit," Bella told us. As she was<br />

telling us about this, we started to experience the things she was telling us about<br />

and we all cast a glare at Jasper.<br />

"Sorry!" he yelped, "it was coming on so strong that I felt the pain as if it was<br />

mine. <strong>The</strong>re was too much and I got lost in her story."<br />

"It was almost hypnotizing," Carlisle mused.<br />

"I do not have hypnotic powers!" Bella scoffed as she bolted upright.<br />

"Wait, maybe you do," Alice said.<br />

"Ooh, quick! Say, '<strong>The</strong>se are not the droids you're looking for', in a creepy voice!"<br />

Emmett said to Bella. Bella looked at him and huffed.<br />

"Would you forget about that?" she asked him.<br />

"Forget about what?" he asked her. We looked at him confused.<br />

- 312 -


"Stop playing Emmett, you didn't really forget," Rosalie said as she gave him a<br />

little shove.<br />

"No seriously, forget what?" he said again.<br />

"We were just talking about Bella and her hypnotic powers!" Alice burst out.<br />

"Ooh, Bella's hypnotic? Quick Bella, say 'these are not the droids you're looking<br />

for' like they did on Star Wars!" He said excitedly.<br />

"I just read his mind and he doesn't remember the conversation at all," I told<br />

everyone.<br />

We all just looked at him as he prodded Bella to say it. Bella looked a bit aghast at<br />

this discovery but more annoyed at Emmett poking her.<br />

"Emmett, we don't want a repeat of what happened," Carlisle told him as he took<br />

Emmett's hand away from her shoulder.<br />

"Did Bella really wipe my mind?" he asked after seeing our faces.<br />

"Yeah," Jasper said as he tapped his shoulder.<br />

"That… is so awesome!" He yelled. We all rolled our eyes but continued to focus<br />

on Bella.<br />

"What else can you remember from that time Bella?" I asked her gently.<br />

"Besides pain and wishing it would never end, I remember you. I was so happy<br />

when I saw your faces that last time. Your faces were the only thing that kept me<br />

going all that time. I also remembered thinking that you should trust me before you<br />

acted with rage. Was I so bad that you had to change me immediately?" Bella asked<br />

as she petted her girls.<br />

"So you did send me a mental message to trust you," I exclaimed giddily. Everyone<br />

looked at me and Carlisle decided that we would discover this later before<br />

answering Bella's previous question.<br />

"I was surprised your body had endured that long," Carlisle told her grimly.<br />

"Well, she's a fighter Carlisle. Bella could survive a lot of things," Moz said as he<br />

gave her an affectionate look. She smiled up at him and sighed heavily.<br />

- 313 -


"So where does that leave us?" Bella asked as she reclined in her seat.<br />

"Well, we'll have to help you out with your newborn stage and then I'd like to do<br />

something special," I told her as I stroked her hair.<br />

"And what would that be?" Bella asked me skeptically. Alice smiled widely and<br />

made a shooing motion with her hands.<br />

"Bella," I started as I got down on the floor, "would you do me the honor of staying<br />

with me forever?"<br />

Bella was speechless. She looked at Moz and then back down at me in rapid<br />

motions. I was losing hope the longer she stared at me with the ring in my hand<br />

outstretched toward her.<br />

"Bella, say something," Moz muttered as he jerked his head toward me. Bella bit<br />

her lip and looked at me with worried eyes. I slowly retracted my hand back.<br />

"I get it, you don't have to answer right away. I was just so close to losing you and<br />

I love you. I couldn't bear the thought of not making you mine forever and I asked<br />

Moz who said it was okay but I should have read the signs to see if you wanted to<br />

marry me but like a fool, I rushed into it. I didn't mean to make you any more<br />

uncomfortable than you've already been and I…" I was rambling but I couldn't seem<br />

to stop until Bella threw herself at me. She gave me a searing kiss and pulled back<br />

to see my confused face.<br />

"Edward, I love your rambling and there is nothing that would stop me from living<br />

forever with you," she told me. I smiled widely and pulled her in for another kiss. We<br />

pulled back with giant grins after we heard hooting and catcalls.<br />

"Seems like I've got the family I've always wanted," Bella smirked up at me as<br />

everyone else left the room.<br />

"I know I've found my perfect half," I told her as I looked into her striking eyes.<br />

"That's all I've ever wanted. How about you?" she asked me as she settled on my<br />

shoulder. I nodded and got myself comfortable.<br />

"I didn't know it until you came into my life. I'm looking forward to the coming<br />

days," I told her, stroking her hair as she sighed happily. I was sitting conent when<br />

all of a sudden, I heard Bella told me she loved me with all her heart.<br />

- 314 -


"I love you too sweetie and you are my heart," I told her as I kissed the top of her<br />

head. she froze and twisted her head up.<br />

"Edward, I didn't say anything," she told me confused. We both looked at each<br />

other when I smiled widely.<br />

"I knew it! You can send mental messages!"<br />

Bella looked confused and then scrunched her face up in concentration. I heard<br />

something and I gasped. She smirked and looked at me with a smug face.<br />

"I can't wait for the wedding," she said with a mischievous smirk.<br />

"Me either! Wedding plans are already being made," Alice yelled from the living<br />

room. Bella gave a frustrated sigh and looked up at me.<br />

"Well, I guess forever is ending sooner for one annoying pixie," Bella told me with<br />

a malicious grin.<br />

"I heard that Bella! I'm making you wear stilettos and an extra long wedding gown<br />

for that comment!"<br />

"I'll make you wear fuchsia then!" Bella hollered back. I laid back and chuckled as<br />

I heard my fiancée and sister bicker from different levels.<br />

Forever was going to be loud but I was still looking forward to it.<br />

Aw… Such a cute ending! Edward is so whipped XD.<br />

So there, my story is now finished.<br />

I have been working on a new story and it is totally different. It's a new<br />

twist on Bella and she still kicks ass but in a different way.<br />

I hope that when I publish it (in the VERY near future), that you guys like<br />

it.<br />

So farewell!<br />

But not for long.<br />

- 315 -

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