The Box

Esme had been meaning to clear out the upstairs closet for quite some time. It was stuffed with the many discarded distractions that Edward had created for himself. A play station, a big box of Lego and to Esme consternation (oh long word) a pair of satin, pink ballet shoes. She rummaged through the mountain of stuff separating the junk that they probably wouldn't use again (including a mountain of pokemon cards, an old gramophone record of "The Spinatics" whoever they were and a car shaped ash tray.) from the practical things that she could use ( including twelve bottles of carpet cleaner, a baby blue toaster and Japanese calligraphy kit.)

She had reached the back of the cupboard when she found the box marked "Costumes". Esme, remembering Edward's theatre directing phase, lugged the heavy box downstairs to have a closer look at it. It was even more rainy than the days that were rainier than usual in Forks and the Cullens were utterly bored. Bella sat nestled into Edward's chest as he stroked her hair absentmindedly. Esme sighed happily and continued down the stairs.

"Look what I found, Edward." said Esme as she set the box down on the coffee table.

Edward looked up, distracted for a moment from his ponderings of life the universe and everything.

"What is it?" Bella asked curiously.

"It's a dressing up box." Edward explained recognising it instantly.

"Oooo, let's play." Bella jumped up and started rummaging around in the box.

She turned round and found five vampires looking at her (Carlisle was at work and Esme was, like Bella looking through the box). She hadn't seen them come in but she had a feeling the reason they were here had something to do with what she had just said. "Play" was a word that brought out a highly competitive side of the Cullens that Bella wasn't sure she liked.

"Okay, here are the rules." Emmett said seriously. Bella looked around frantically trying to figure out at which point this had turned into something with rules. "We pick out a random name of a costume from this hat." He held out a black top hat that Bella recognised. "We spend one hour, that's one hour in this costume, acting in the persona of your new identity. There will be no switching, no talking if your new persona can't talk and you may not change out of your costume until the hour is up." Everyone nodded and Bella shrugged. There was brief fifteen minutes where Esme, who didn't want to play, prepared the slips of paper while the Cullens and Bella waited in the sitting room, thinking up amusing outcomes in the game. What they didn't know was that they weren't half as amusing as the next few hours were about to be.