Bella

Almost ten days came and went while we waited for Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie to return. We couldn't risk calling them, not knowing how exactly the Volturi obtained their information on the goings-on of the vampire world. We just had to trust that they were alright, and that Alice was finding some answers. They had called in once or twice when they thought it was safe, but hadn't had much to report.

Evie was becoming increasingly anxious. She had taken to pacing the third-floor loft on a regular basis. I focused my energy on learning my new abilities. Evie and I raced through the woods every day, and I was pushing myself faster and faster until one day I finally overtook her. My peripheral vision blurred as I flew through the trees at top speed, momentarily airborne as I leapt over the river. It was so thrilling I didn't even notice when I had passed her.

"Hey!" She cried, and I was surprised that her voice came from behind me. I slowed, coming to a stop in a meadow covered in wildflowers. I collapsed into the soft grass, my lungs heaving as I stared up into the voluminous clouds. Evie joined me and we lay there for a while enjoying the light breeze that tickled my skin and ruffled the grass. Evie absentmindedly traced circles along my arm and I sighed with contentment. In spite of everything in my life being up in the air, I had never felt happier.

The peaceful quiet was interrupted by the buzzing of Evie's phone. She dug it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. Before I knew what was happening she had jumped up and was talking excitedly. I stood up just as she was hanging up.

"They're back!" She exclaimed, and together we raced back to the house.

"-haven't been out during the day all week!" Rosalie was complaining when we entered. Evie rushed forward and embraced her siblings. I hung back, allowing them their happy reunion. Finally Alice broke out of Evie's arms and skipped over to me. I hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you are all ok!" I spoke into her spiky black hair, shutting my eyes tightly to prevent the tears from escaping.

"We've told you before, Bella, we can handle ourselves." She answered, squeezing my hand.

Carlisle, who had been at the center of the group, now called everyone's attention. "Alice, what were you able to find out?"

"I found the name of my creator," she answered, sounding awed. "He worked in the asylum where my family apparently had committed me. He saw James stalking me and turned me before he could kill me. And then-" her voice broke, "and then James killed him for thwarting him. I will never be able to tell him how grateful I am." Jasper was immediately at Alice's side, whispering in her ear. She calmed down instantly. I wondered what that would feel like, Jasper's gift. But I would never find out. "At least now I know why I can't remember anything about being human," Alice continued. "They kept me drugged in that place. I think I was probably able to see the future, even then."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, taking in everything Alice had told us. I was overcome with curiosity, but couldn't bring myself to ask the question burning in my mind. Carlisle had stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "At least now you know the truth." He told her gently. She nodded. "And did you find out any other information for us?" He finally asked. I inched forward, unable to contain my curiosity.

Alice looked at me while she answered. "The Volturi have record of humans surviving vampire bites." Her voice was grave, and I didn't understand why. "They called them Mortifero Sanguine."

"Deadly Blood," Evie whispered.

"So everyone else who survived being bitten," I started, "the vampires who bit them died? Like James?"

"Yes," Alice told us. "The Volturi fear the Mortifero Sanguine above all others. They hunted them to extinction over five hundred years ago. Bella, they can never find out that you exist."

Rather than feeling comforted to know I was not the first of my kind, all I could feel was terror. "What are we going to do?"

"Alice, did you find any indication that the Volturi are aware of Bella's existence?" Carlisle asked.

"No," she answered, and I breathed a little easier. Then Jasper stepped forward.

"I must warn you, the Volturi are stirring. I felt it when we were there. Something has them worked up, but we were unable to figure it out without exposing ourselves."

Carlisle nodded. "We will have to be extra careful."

"This way Bella!" Alice's voice trilled with excitement as we climbed the stairs to the third floor. She led me to the right, in the opposite direction from Evie's room. The room she pulled me into was enormous. The king-sized bed was draped with white canopy, facing the glass wall and balcony that overlooked the lawn. But Alice pulled me quickly through the room and into an equally huge closet and bathroom combination. I gaped at racks and racks of colorful clothes, shelves of shoes, and double vanity mirrors with stools in front of them. Alice's closet was it's own boutique.

She plopped me down on one of the stools and studied my face.

"Hmm," was all she said. For the next half hour she was a flurry of activity while I sat there motionless. Soft brushes were swept all over my face and I was poked and prodded to the limit of my patience. But when I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror, my mouth fell open in surprise. My dark eyes looked huge and bright, framed with thick lashes and dark liner, and a silvery shadow with just a hint of sparkle. My cheekbones were slightly rosy and my lips colored a light pink that made them look almost the way they used to.

Then a full hour was spent on my hair. My thick locks were washed, then straightened, then curled, and finally set into an elaborate arrangement on top of my head. Alice used an entire package of bobby pins and a whole bottle of hairspray to force my usually tangled mess into submission. She jabbed me one too many times with a pin and I finally protested loudly.

"Beauty is pain, Bella." she intoned.

I scoffed at her and put my foot down. "This will just have to be good enough." I huffed, then turned to storm out.

"Wait!" She called, laughing at my attempt to escape. "Your dress." She grinned as she held up a deep purple gown.

"Oh Alice, it's gorgeous!" I gushed. She helped me step into it and zipped up the back. Off the shoulder and cinched at the waist, it made me look like I actually had curves. The final touch was a pair of black heels. I had never felt so glamorous in all my life.

"My turn!" Alice's voice distracted me from staring at my reflection. For a second I panicked, thinking she expected me to do her hair and make-up too. But when I turned to her I saw she had already done hers. Her usual spikes were smoothed down to one side and her lips were painted blood-red. She had pulled on a black dress with little triangle cut-outs that showed off her ivory skin. I zipped it up for her and she stepped into her heels. Then she handed me a pair of sneakers "for after our grand entrance."

Alice helped me navigate the two flights of curved stairs as we made our way to the front door. Standing next to Carlisle and Esme in the great room was my dad with a camera, snapping pictures as we walked down to them. "For your mom," he explained, gesturing to the camera. "You look beautiful, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad." I hugged him, and then hugged Carlisle and Esme who were both beaming at me. Then I heard two voices at the top of the stairs and turned to watch Evie and Rosalie descend.

Rosalie looked beyond incredible in a scarlet silk dress that hugged her tightly. Her golden hair fell in soft waves over one shoulder. Then I saw Evie behind her and my breath caught.

She wore a floor-length halter dress covered with sparkling beads. Her hair was held up on either side with ornate silver combs, and the rest of her auburn curls spilled down her back. She descended the stairs gracefully and I had to concentrate on keeping my mouth from falling open.

I recovered quickly, remembering we had company. Jasper and Emmett joined us dressed in formal tuxedos and Esme had us all pose for pictures. I was having trouble looking at the camera; my eyes kept drifting toward Evie. Finally it was time to leave.

Outside, a ridiculously large limousine waited with the engine running. We all piled in for the short drive over to Forks High. Emmett immediately started kissing Rosalie noisily until Alice, perched on Jasper's lap, cleared her throat. He pulled away from her long enough to glare daggers at Alice, and then he saw my reddened face and howled with laughter. It wasn't long before his booming laugh caught on, and we were all laughing with him. Evie and I still hadn't spoken, though we kept exchanging furtive glances as the car carried us smoothly to the ball.

When we arrived, I was relieved to see that ours wasn't the only limo. I knew Alice wanted a grand entrance, but I still preferred blending in with the crowd. As the car in front of us pulled to a stop in front of the school, I watched Jessica, Mike, Angela, Ben, Lauren, and Tyler get out, laughing as they traipsed toward the doors. I hurried to open my door and called out to them before they were out of range.

"Hey guys!" I called, trying to catch up with them without moving overly fast and giving myself away. Evie and her siblings were close behind me.

"Hi Bella, Evie." Angela greeted us. "You guys look awesome!"

I blushed deeper, looking down at my feet. "Thanks, you too."

"Bella I am so glad that you came!" Jessica was all smiles.

"It's time!" Alice called, and a second later the song booming out from the open doors of the gym changed to something with a fast tempo and heavy bass. Emmett whooped and swung Rosalie up into his arms, carrying her into the gym as he bobbed smoothly to the beat. Alice and Jasper followed, executing an elaborate synchronized maneuver that looked well-rehearsed. Everyone had turned to watch them enter, clapping in time with the music. I realized suddenly that Evie and I were next.

"Oh, no. No way." I shook my head, knees locking like a startled colt's. Fear had rendered me immobile. Everyone in the group was staring at me, but I knew it would be worse in there.

"Come on guys, let's all go. Together." Mike smiled at me as he urged everyone forward. I mouthed a thank-you to him, and as a group we entered the gym. I could not name the feeling that took over me as I walked into the prom with my friends surrounding me and Evie by my side, all of us dressed in our finery and feeling on top of the world. I took it all in.

After we had passed under the balloon archway and had our pictures snapped in front of a colorful background, we made our way to the dancefloor. Tyler pulled me aside before we could join the other dancers.

"Hey, Bella." He said, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I bugged you when you first moved here. I didn't know that you were, well I mean, that you liked someone else."

He was clearly uncomfortable, so I smiled and thanked him. "I'm sorry too Tyler. I should have told you up front. I just...didn't know how."

"No worries." He grinned. "Have fun tonight."

I was so relieved that Tyler didn't hate me for not telling him the truth that I was smiling from ear to ear when I turned around and saw Evie coming toward me.

"Hey gorgeous," she whispered, and my heart somersaulted. Now she was the one grinning. She held out her hand to me. "Would you like to dance?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. I placed my hand in hers and she led me onto the dance floor just as a slow song was beginning. She pulled me close, and her hands on the small of my back sent shivers up and down my spine.

"Do you know what I just realized?" She asked me with a playful edge to her voice.

"What?" I asked as we swayed back and forth to the music.

"This is our first date." Her smile warmed me from my core.

"You're right!" I had become so accustomed to being with her that I hadn't even noticed we had skipped right over actually dating. "Although, I don't think this actually counts as a date."

"What do you mean?" She was immediately vexed.

"Well typically people have dinner first and then go out dancing." I teased, and her smile returned.

"Okay then, let's see. We had dinner in Port Angeles, does that count?"

I laughed. "I think we would have to combine all of the times we've gone out to constitute one date."

"You're right," she grinned, enjoying the game. "We started with book shopping."

"Very good date material." I concurred.

"And then we had dinner."

"But does it still count if only one person actually ate dinner?" I raised one eyebrow at her.

"True, but then we walked along the boardwalk." she reminded me.

"Oh yes, classic dating move."

"We listened to music together."

"Essential when determining compatibility." I grinned, "but I wonder how many other couples meet each other's parents on the first date?"

"You know, there was a time when that was in fact expected." she countered, and before I could answer she spun me under her arm until I faced away from her, her arm across my waist pulling me back against her until her chin rested on my shoulder. "But they say that propriety is dead." She whispered, her breath tickling my ear as she spoke. Her right hand now rested on my hip, and her other hand traced lightly down my bare arm. I shivered again, closing my eyes.

My thoughts were getting tangled up in the feel of her arms around me and her lips on my neck, and I was suddenly very glad that she couldn't hear what I was thinking right then. Propriety was the furthest thing from my mind. But as usual, she seemed to follow my thought process even without the help of her gift.

"Do you want to get out of here?" She asked, her voice full of longing. I didn't answer, just grabbed her hand with mine and pulled her toward the door. I grabbed my sneakers from the cubby and pulled off the heels that Alice had given me.

When we got to the door, I saw the one person I had not expected to see tonight. The one person besides Evie who I had most wanted to talk to after my transformation, and also the one person who I had been avoiding ever since: Jacob Black.

He wore a black suit jacket unbuttoned over a white dress shirt, his long black hair held back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. He looked like he had grown at least a foot since I had last seen him. When I looked at him, I felt like I was finally home and everything would be okay. Why had I been putting this off?

Then I noticed his expression, and suddenly I remembered. I was different now. Other.

"Jake!" I cried, reaching out toward him. He took a step back, eying me warily. I realized what I must look like to him. What he must think I had become. "Jake, wait!" He froze in mid-step, watching me.

"I thought something had happened to you, when you stopped calling." He growled, furious. "I never thought that this would have happened." He turned to glare at Evie. "How could you do this to her?" He was yelling now.

"Careful, Jacob." She warned, glancing around the gym. The music was loud enough that no one had overheard our exchange except for the other Cullens, who now had stopped dancing and were watching us.

"Jake, it's not what you think!" He shook his head and turned to leave. I rushed forward, no longer caring if anyone noticed that I moved just a little too quickly. "Listen to me!" I grabbed his elbow to stop him and he rounded on me.

"You promised me you were going to be careful." His voice was cold and hard. "You told me that you would be safe with her." He shot Evie a look so full of venom I suddenly worried that he was about to attack her.

"I am! The only reason I am standing here right now is because of her."

"Oh that's convenient. She turned you into one of them to save your life, is that it?"

"But I'm not! Don't you get it?" I was getting angry now. He wasn't listening. So I grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart. His eyes widened in surprise as my heart beat slammed against his palm. "Do you see now?"

"Whoa." He murmured.

"Yeah, I know." I agreed.

"What happened to you Bella?"

"It's a long story," I told him, not sure how much I wanted to divulge. I didn't want him to worry, but I also didn't want to keep anything from him.

"Come on, you have to tell me." He pleaded, and I finally relented.

"Okay, but not here. Walk with me outside?" He nodded, and I turned back to Evie reluctantly. I wasn't ready for our prom to be over yet.

"Go on, talk to Jacob," she told me before I could say anything. "I'll be here when you get back." She smiled and kissed me tenderly, then I turned and walked with Jacob outside toward the football field.

Evie

I frowned as I watched Bella and Jacob walk out of the gym. There was something different about him, something beyond just his growth spurt. I was shaking my head when my siblings joined me by the door.

"What's up with the Native kid?" Emmett asked.

"That's Jacob Black," I told them. "Bella's best friend."

"You mean Black as in Ephriam Black?" Rosalie asked.

"Jacob is his descendant, yes." I answered.

"So is it happening again then?" Emmett didn't sound concerned, more like hopeful.

"I suppose it could be. We will have to keep a closer eye on the reservation from now on."

"Is what happening again?" Jasper was confused.

"Let's just say the local tribe has their own way of defending their people against...people like us." I was careful with my words, not wanting anyone around us to overhear. "But the treaty is still intact. We shouldn't have anything to worry about from them. We have kept up our end of the bargain."

My explanation was interrupted when Bella and Jacob returned.

"Jake, I think it's time that you finally met Evie, officially." Bella introduced us. I stepped forward and offered him my hand. He hesitated a fraction of a second before shaking hands. If I once thought Bella felt warm, it was nothing compared to Jacob. His skin burned as if he had a fever. It seemed like Emmett was right, the past was definitely repeating itself.

Bella then introduced the others and they all shook hands with Jacob. It was a tense moment as each of them registered the difference in his temperature. But for once, no one in my family had anything to say. Jacob looked relieved as he turned to leave us.

"Won't you stay and dance with us?" Bella asked.

"No thanks," he shrugged. "It's not really my thing. I'll see you around Bella. For sure this time."

"For sure," she answered, grinning at him.

Before he left he looked at each of us in turn. The meaning in his eyes was clear: they were still watching us.

"So you told him everything?" I asked Bella after he'd gone.

"Yes," she answered.

"Good," I replied. "They need to know that we are not the ones who bit you."

"That would have violated the treaty?" She asked.

"Oh yes." I told her, and she nodded.

The rest of my family had wandered back inside to the dance floor. I wasn't quite ready to return to high school just yet. Bella stayed outside with me, and together we walked along the running track that circled the soccer field.

The music still drifted over to us from the open doors of the gym, and I jumped out in front of Bella and performed a low sweeping bow with hand outstretched. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

She accepted my hand, and I pulled her into a quick-step, turning her around and around until she was breathless with laughter. "Where did you learn to dance?" she asked when she had caught her breath.

"Oh, lot's of different places. When I was young I learned step dancing in school. Since then I have picked up other styles depending on where we lived."

Bella was staring at me in fascination. "Where have you lived?"

"I'll tell you all about it sometime." I grinned at her. It seemed she would never run out of questions. "We have all the time in the world now."

"You don't know that for sure." Her voice was sad now, uncertain.

"You're right, I don't. But even if we only have a little while, as long as I spend it with you it is enough for me."

"Sometimes I feel like even forever wouldn't be long enough," she countered. I sighed, and we sat down on the grass field looking up at the stars.

"Forever isn't all it's cracked up to be." I told her. "But this right here," I lifted her hand in mine and brushed my lips over the top of it, then cupped my other hand around her cheek, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin. "This is all I need."

We were quiet for a long time, staring up into the night sky. I could hear the distant voices of the dancers mingling with the music, and beyond that the traffic of town. But the only thoughts inside my head were my own. I cleared my mind, just relishing the peaceful silence.

Now that I knew that Bella would remain by my side, the frustration at not being able to hear her mind had dissolved. I actually looked forward to learning more about her little by little, and letting her know more about me. I was beginning to realize that alway being privy to everyone's thoughts around me had sullied my opinion of the human race. Perhaps that was why, as Carlisle pointed out, I had become reclusive over the years.

But there was still goodness left in the world, as evidenced by the person sitting next to me. I was eager for the future now, imagining day after day of talking to her, hearing her voice and earning her smiles. Even if we only had a short time ahead of us, that in itself would be enough to make up for all of my years existing without ever feeling what I felt right now. It might even be enough for forever.

The End