The Carnival

I woke up Saturday morning to a throbbing pain in my leg. It was still hurting after three weeks of being in a cast. Surviving my brush with death didn't come without a price.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?" I turned to look and Edward was instantly at my bedside.

"Wouldn't you like to know." I said, smiling at him.

"Yes I would." he replied. "But unfortunately, we don't have time for that today. You need to get dressed, it's nearly time to leave."

"Leave? Where are we going?" I asked.

But he was ignoring me. "Alice." he called out my doorway, "It's time to get Bella dressed." I didn't hear the shuffling of feet up the stair, but, none the less, Alice was in my room instantly. "Now hurry Alice or we'll be late."

"Don't worry Edward, it won't take long." And she shooed him out so she could dress me. "Edward has a surprise for you today."

"How is today any different than any other day?" I asked.

"You might like this one." Alice replied.

"Wow, that would be a surprise, highly unlikely, but a definite surprise." I remarked. Alice picked a black t-shirt with the writing bite me written on it. I remembered getting it at a store in Port Angels. When I'd seen it, it had instantly made me think of Edward. She also chose a pair of blue jeans that had wide legs, so my cast would fit in them. As she was helping me pull on the pants, I noticed that it wasn't raining outside today. It was still heavily clouded and the sun wasn't shinning, but it wasn't raining. Alice then went on to groom my hair and apply the necessary make-up.

"There we are, your all ready." She said, stepping back to get a look at her handy work.

"It's about time." Said Edward, leaning on the frame of my door. "Nice shirt." He added, smirking.

"Thanks, I got it in your honor." I replied.

"I'm flattered." He remarked. "Let's go now."

"Where are you taking me?" I asked. It seemed like I said this a lot, especially lately. It was becoming somewhat of a catch phrase of mine.

"You'll see when we get there, as usual." He said.

"Of course." I replied.

"Don't worry Bella, we'll all be there." Said Alice. By all I'm sure she meant all of the Cullens. Edward's brothers and sister Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and maybe even his parents, Dr. Carlisle and his wife Esmè.

My heart leapt with excitement. Maybe this was finally it. Maybe Edward had finally decided to change me.

"No Bella. When Alice says that all of my family will be there, she does not mean I am going to change you into one of us." Edward said.

"How did you-" I started.

"Just because I can't read your mind, doesn't mean I don't know what your thinking." He replied.

"Hmm." I pouted and sat back in the seat of Edward's Volvo. I hated when he said he would never change me. He could be so stubborn some times.

"We're nearly here." He said a few seconds later. At the speed Edward drove at, it didn't take him long to get anywhere.

I peered out the window in curiosity to see where we were. There were many cars parked on either side of the road, among them, I recognized Carlisle's Mercedes. I wracked my brain for events that were going on this weekend. And then I thought of it.

"We're going to the fair, aren't we?" I said, starring at Edward.

"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner." He replied, smiling at me.

Alice had been right, I did like this surprise. I had always enjoyed carnivals. Cotton candy, rides that make you so sick you throw up the cotton candy, animals, games, I liked the whole thing.

"How could I have ever doubted you Alice?" I said as Edward pulled into a parking spot.

"I forgive you Bella." She replied, "Now, let's go have some fun."

The rest of the Cullens met us when we got in the gate.

"We were beginning to think that you weren't coming." Said Carlisle as we approached them.

"We wouldn't miss it." I said, excitement rapidly growing inside me.

"Someone is very excited." Esmè said, enjoying my glee.

"Yes." I admitted sheepishly.

"Well then, we'd better start." Edward said. "With your leg, we'll be lucky to do half the things I'd like to."

"Alright, we'll meet up with you later." Carlisle said and Edward started leading me away.

"So, what would you like to do first?" he asked.

I thought for a minute. "Corndog. I want a corndog."

"Okay." He said. I could tell he hadn't expected me to say that, but never the less, bought me one. I ate it and enjoyed every bite.

"What does that taste like?" he asked as he watched me eat it.

"Would you like a bite?" I teased, remembering the time he had taken a bite of pizza during lunch at school.

"No thanks. What I mean is, does it taste good?" he clarified.

"Yes, it does." I said, satisfied that I knew something that the great Edward Cullen didn't.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked after I'd finished scarffing down my corndog.

"Lets go see what rides they have, for later." I replied.

"You like to go on rides?" ha asked, awe struck.

"Yes. Why shouldn't I?" I asked.

"You don't exactly seem like the type that would enjoy fast, spinning rides." He hesitantly replied.

"Well, I do. A lot." I said. "Do you?"

"I don't know. I've never had a reason to go to a carnival before now." He admitted.

"You've never been to one?" I asked, stunned.

"No. This is a learning experience for me." He replied.

"Well, you came to the right person to teach you." I said. "Onward to the rides."

"I'm no expert, but isn't going on rides right after you've eaten a bad thing? Won't we be in danger of seeing your corndog again?"

"Only inexperienced ride riders experience that." I corrected. "I however, am very experienced. In fact, if this were school, I'd have a Ph. D."

"Okay Ms. Swan, you have my complete and undivided attention." He said.

I first led him to an easy ride. "Okay Edward, this one is really easy. It's called a Ferris Wheel." I said as we approached the giant spinning wheel.

"Bella. I said I'd never been to a fair before, not that I didn't know what one was." He said, giving me a look underestimation.

"Right, sorry." I replied.

We went over to the ticket booth and bought tickets for the rides. We then went back over to the Wheel and got in line.

"Bella. Hi." Said a voice I recognized instantly. I turned around to find Jessica and Mike walking toward us. "Hi Edward."

"Hello Bella. Cullen." Said Mike.

"Hi guys, what's up?" I asked as they reached us.

"We came for a day of fun, what else." Said Jessica. "I'm surprised to see you here Bella. I didn't know you liked things like this."

"Not many people do." I said, glancing up at Edward.

"So, when did you get here?" Mike asked me, completely ignoring Edward.

"A little while ago. Do they have this every year? I don't remember them having it when I visited Charlie." I said.

"They didn't until a couple years ago. It keeps getting better every year." Jessica replied.

"It's our turn." Said Edward.

"We'll catch up with you guys later." I said to them, waving good-bye.

"See ya Bella. Bye Edward." Said Jessica, giving a little wave back.

We gave our tickets to the man at the gate and got in one of the buckets. I watched out the side of the bucket as we went higher in the air. The wheel went around and around many times, occasionally stopping to let other people on. Then, it stopped at the top.

"Wow, look at the view up here." I said, staring at all the little figures moving beneath us and all the cars in the distance. "I think you can see the whole city of Forks from up here."

"You probably can." He said, looking out his side of the bucket. Then, it started moving again. When the ride was over, we got off and went to the next, which happen to be the swings.

"This is more like it." Said Edward as he got on. Then the ride started. We were flying in circles faster and faster by the second. The world around us was going by in a flash. I glanced over at Edward. He was smiling bigger than I'd ever seen before.

"This is the best!" I shouted over to him as the ride seamed to go faster yet.

"Yeah." He replied.

When the ride slowed and then stopped, I looked at him again. His hair was even crazier than normal and I'm sure mine was too.

"Nice hair." He said to me as we got in line for the next ride.

"Same to you." I replied, smirking at his head of crazy bronze fuzz. The next ride was the Tornado, a ride where you sit four in a pod and you spin a steering wheel in the center while the whole ride spins as well. We got into the pod that the man instructed us to and found that there were two other people seated there as well.

"Hey guys. Are you having fun?" asked Alice as Edward and I took the two remaining seats next to her and Jasper.

"Yes." I replied. I could hear Edward softly muttering something and I think Jasper was muttering something back. I starred at him in puzzlement and he looked at me.

"I was only telling Jasper what a good teacher you are." He innocently told me.

"Sure you were." I replied skeptically. Then the ride started. We spun in circles as the whole ride moved as well.

"Weeee!" Alice and I yelled as Jasper and Edward spun the pod faster and faster. Then the ride began to slow.

"That was awesome!" Alice said as we all stood outside the gate of the ride.

"Bella, you don't look so good. Do you feel alright?" Jasper asked, as I held my stomach in pain.

"No. I think I'm going to puke." I said as I ran over to the nearest garbage can and disposed of my corndog.

"I thought you didn't puke after rides." Edward said when he came over to join me by the garbage can.

"I don't." I replied, "I've just never spun that fast on a ride before."

"Sorry. I think that was our fault." Said Jasper. He and Alice had now come to join us. "We aren't used to riding with people who. . . dispose of their food."

"It's alright. I'm over it." I replied, standing up from over the can.

"Why don't we go do some games now." Suggested Edward.

"Okay." I said. "Would you guys like to join us?" I asked Alice and Jasper.

"Thanks, but I think we're going to go on a few more rides." Said Alice and grabbed Jaspers hand. Edward had obviously noticed something I hadn't because once they were gone he muttered, "Yeah right."

We walked around the park aimlessly for a while. Edward was looking for something and wasn't going to stop until he found it. He did finally stop though, in front of the bottle game.

"You knock down all the bottles in one shot and I'll give ya any prize in the place." The carnie taunted, handing Edward a ball. He obviously mistook Edward for someone weak because when he threw the ball and knocked all the bottles clear off the stand and sent them all flying three feet, the man stood and starred at him with his mouth open.

"We'll take that one." Said Edward, pointing at the gigantic stuffed frog hanging from above the man. He pulled it down, only taking his eye off of Edward for a second and handed him the frog. "Here you go." Edward said, handing it to me.

"Thank you." I said, taking it and hugging it to make sure it was nice and fluffy.

We walked around for a little while, looking at all the rides. We met Esmè and Carlisle once when we had stopped to get my beloved cotton candy. I ate it greedily as Edward told Carlisle all that we had done and Esmè told me about past carnival experiences.

"Let's go on a couple more rides." I said as we past them again.

He hesitated, "Bella, I really don't want to see your cotton candy again."

"You won't, as long as we don't go on anything that spins faster than the speed of light." I assured him.

"If you insist." He replied, and led me back to the rides. "Which one is it going to be this time?"

"You chose." I said.

"How about that one?" He asked pointing toward the stomach crusher, the ride that takes you up fifty feet and then drops you straight down.

"Yeah, let's go." I said, hobbling as fast as I could toward it.

We handed the operator our tickets and went in. "Can you hold this?" I asked him, handing him my frog.

"Sure." He said reluctantly taking it and setting in the platform next to him. The ride went up slowly and stopped when we reached the top. We stayed up there for what seemed like an eternity and then it dropped. I screamed as loud as I could and could hear Edward laughing beside me. Then it was over as soon as it had started. I unstably got off and walked away, Edward supporting more than half of my weight.

"That was lots of fun!" he excitedly told me as I picked up my frog from the platform and headed out the gate of the ride.

"Hey Edward!" yelled Emmett from across the way, "Come on the bumper cars with us." We walked over to meet him and found that Rosalie, Alice and Jasper were also there. He walked up the ramp toward the ticket man with them, but turned to face me when he realized I wasn't behind him.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Leg?" I pointed out.

"You could be my passenger." He said

"No. You go ahead, I'll watch. Besides, I need a little break." But he wasn't taking no for an answer. He walked back down the ramp, scooped me up and carried me back up it. He handed the man tickets for both of us and carried me over to a blue sparkly car. He then set me down and allowed me to put myself in the car. He got in the other side and we were off. Emmett immediately rammed us in the side and in return he was rammed by Alice. Meanwhile, Rosalie was after Jasper.

"Come on bro, come and get me!" she taunted.

"As you wish." He said and backed up and rammed her.

We were now untangled from our mess and were going after Emmett for payback, but Jasper got to him first, so instead we went for Alice. We got her, but Rosalie got us. They went around hitting each other, all of them laughing like little kids.

When the ride was over, we all got off and the laughter followed us.

"That was the most fun I've had in a while." Chuckled Emmett. He sounded like a large bear.

"I'm glad to see you're all having fun, but it's getting late and you need to take Bella home, don't you Edward?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, you're right." He replied, "It's almost 10:30, we don't want Charlie to worry."

"I'll see you all later." I said and waved to them as Edward led me toward the exit. They all waved back and called good-byes to me as well.

I got in the Volvo and Edward headed toward Charlie's house. When we got there, he got out and had my door open before I could even reach for the handle. "Charlie isn't watching out the window as usual." Said Edward as he led me toward the door.

"Really, that's different." I said. We were now standing on the front stoop.

"You know what, there was something I forgot to do at the fair." He said as he looked down at me.

"What?" I asked. I thought we'd done pretty much everything. I couldn't think of anything we'd missed that he would've wanted to do.

"This." He said and leaned down and gently pressed his lips to mine.

"Goodnight Bella." He said and walked back to his car. He didn't leave though until he saw I was safely in the house.