A/N: Here's another chapter for y'all.
Someone said they were looking forward to Bella & Alice's friendship developing to that person I say: I hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters I'm just taking them for a spin.
Saturday morning found Bella and Alice silently hiking the Forks wilderness together. Bella was enjoying the quiet morning air and being surrounded by nature. She was so enthralled by the scenery slowly passing by that she jumped slightly when Alice spoke. Bella did her best to quell the blush rising to her cheeks as Alice giggled next to her.
"My bad didn't mean to scare you." She apologized as her laughter died." So keeping with our 'Forks through virgin eyes' theme" Alice looked pointedly at Bella for a moment; receiving an eye roll from the other brunette for her goofy eyebrow wiggle "I was thinking we could take pictures of things that really resonate with you here in the woods and around town then use found materials to recreate a map/collage of forks with each image represented in their geographic location. It would be a nice 'Welcome to Forks' and I bet, if it's good enough, we could do a large scale version and get the mayor to hang it in the Welcome center! What do you think?"
Bella could see how excited Alice was for her idea and admittedly it was a good idea however there was one problem. "It's a great idea Alice and shows you put a lot of thought into it. I really like how you went the extra mile into how it could benefit the community." Bella paused a moment unsure how to continue without offending Alice.
"It doesn't take a psychic to see there's a but coming…" Alice mumbled slightly crossing her arms. "Well go on then tell me what I missed?" Alice huffed in frustration.
Bella swallowed at her suddenly painfully dry throat. "Well it's just that Mrs. Diaz said the theme was nature and to do a recreation of our Biome. I think that we should focus on the surrounding wooded areas of forks. We should not include parts of town." Bella flinched slightly as she finished and avoided Alice's gaze, preferring instead to stare hard at the path ahead of them.
Yes, that's a fine idea. Insult the only supernatural interested in being your friend.
Friendship over in:
3...Bella wondered briefly why she didn't just tell Alice she loved the idea.
2…If it wasn't so utterly pathetic Bella might've laughed at the world's shortest friendship being her longest.
1…Bella felt a chill rush down her spine at the realization she'd ruined her only chance at friendship in less than 24 hours.
"Oh my bad I guess I did overlook that part of the assignment." Alice's voice interrupted Bella's internal Doom Countdown. "Sometimes I miss the small details when I get excited." Alice laughed slightly at her tendency to put the cart before the horse. "No worries! It's still just the drafting stages, not like we've started yet. Did you have any ideas you wanted to toss around?" Alice looked expectantly at Bella to find the wolf staring back in shock.
"You're not upset that I had a problem with your idea?" Bella asked tentatively.
"What? No of course not! It's not like you told me my idea was complete shit or anything. You just pointed out it didn't quite align with the assignment and that's okay." Alice replied incredulously. "Besides this is a group project so we both have a say and I value your input. So what kind of ideas did you come up with?" She finished with a smile.
Bella offered a light smile In return. "Well I think we can actually keep some of your ideas. I really liked the collage map. Anyways. I was thinking we could use found materials to recreate this hike. Where your idea comes in is the tree canopy above us. It's pretty thick so we could have an image depicted at the top of the canopy." Bella paused for a moment to check that Alice was still listening and received an enthusiastic nod to continue. "We would make it a 3D representation of the mountain here and on each side have a different scene that we see today. And looking down from above the Canopy would be a collage of different colours that reveal whichever scene we found most resonated with us both." Bella trailed off slightly at the look on Alice's face that had gotten increasingly more intense as she spoke. "Do you...do you hate it?" She asked sheepishly.
"Not at all! That's a fantastic idea! Even without including the canopy image, thanks for that by the way, it will definitely get us an A!" Alice's voice was sincere and Bella felt a spark of pride in her heart. "I know exactly where we'll find our canopy scene too; there's a ridge at the crest of this hike that will definitely be perfect I guarantee it! Let's get to hiking this thing!" Alice's yell echoed slightly and startled several woodland critters nearby.
"So what's an Alpha wolf doing attending forks high or really ANY human high school for that matter?"
"I could ask you the same thing y'know? What's a pack of vampires doing living in Forks, Washington?" Bella replied in an effort to stall.
"You're stalling and that's an easy question to answer." Alice replied with a smug smirk "My coven isn't like other vampires. We're vegetarians or what passes for vegetarians among vampires. We only feed on wild animals; I'm sure you noticed our eyes are gold instead of red?" Alice pointed at her own eyes.
"I wasn't aware vampires had red eyes or that gold eyes were abnormal. I've never met any vampires in person before your pa...coven." Bella stumbled slightly on the unfamiliar word.
"Well feel free to ask me any questions you have any t-"
"Do you guys really sparkle?" Bella asked swiftly cutting off Alice's statement.
Really making an extra effort to offend aren't you? Some kind of 'friend' you're turning out to be. At the realization of how rude she was being Bella slapped a hand over her mouth as a blush crept along her cheeks. "I'm so sorry!" She forced out behind her hand. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I had just always wondered about that and you said I could ask anything so I thought I would ask." Bella struggled to breath through her hand after forcing so many words so quickly.
"...Right. I think I caught most of that." Alice raised an eyebrow as she reached out, removing the hand over Bellas mouth. "Let's just move that so you don't suffocate hhm? She smiled to soften the patronizing action. "It's okay, what's an interruption between friends?" Alice did her best to understand the way Bella was reacting. "To answer your question yes we sparkle but only in sunlight. That's also part of why we live in Forks other than the beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife the sun is hidden most of the year."
"Oh that's, that's pretty cool. Can you do anyth-"
"No no you had your question!" This time Alice interrupted Bella poking a finger at the wolf's nose. "It's my turn. What's an Alpha wolf doing at a human high school in forks washington?
"Wow you really go for the jugular don't you?" Bella asked in an effort to again stall the very uncomfortable conversation that question would cause.
"Well you know it's in my nature as an apex predator, I'm sure you can relate." Alice replied as she bumped shoulders with her companion lightly. "Besides I'm used to knowing anyways so I can't help but be nosey." Alice shrugged as she continued walking along the hiking trail. "So you gonna spill the beans or what?"
It was a few seconds before Alice realized Bella was no longer walking beside her. She stopped and turned to find the other girl looking at her quizzically. "What? Do I have blood on my face?" she asked as she began wiping her hands across her mouth.
"No your face is okay. It's just.." Bella trailed off afraid to offend her only possible supernatural friend.
"Just what? If we're gonna be best friends you need to be comfortable sharing your thoughts with me." Alice prodded gently as she stepped closer.
Bella studied the other woman intently for a moment before sighing deeply. "It's just that, no offense, but that's 3 times now you've said something like that"
"Said something like what? I'm not following. Which is something I'm not really used to." Alice replied.
"See right there. It's like you're used to knowing the future or something." Bella threw her hands in the air at the audacity of the thought. "I'm probably just being stupid and misunderstanding it's nothing just forget it."
"Firstly don't call my best friend stupid. I'll fight you." Alice said with all seriousness and not a hint of her usual playful nature. "Secondly, you're not misunderstanding at all. I am used to knowing the future. I'm clairvoyant well occasionally-to-somewhat-often I'm clairvoyant. It's kind of not in my control yet but I'm working on it." She finished with a determined nod as she made to continue their hike.
"Wait a second. You're telling me you've actually got superpowers?" Bella's widened eyes never left Alice's face looking for any hint she was joking.
"I don't know if I'd call them 'superpowers' but they definitely come in handy now and again." Alice shrugged.
"I seriously thought Charlie was joking when he said some vampires have powers." Bella mumbled to herself as she started walking again.
"We also have amazing hearing. Who's Charlie?" Alice questioned falling into step with the other girl and turning the conversation back to its original topic: Bella.
Bella felt her breath catch in her throat at the question. "He's my-was my dad." Bella said as she forced herself to keep walking. "He died a few months back." She forced herself to finish the thought still unused to acknowledging it aloud.
Don't forget he saved your life and you repaid him by letting him die. The words sliced through her mind like a hot knife.
Bella's eyes found Alice's quickly; her paranoid searching gaze looked for any sign her companion somehow heard the dark admission. Bella found compassionate golden eyes staring back at her.
"I'm sorry for your loss. You said in class that you'd been traveling the country together for years...I'm guessing you two were really close after traveling for so long together?" Alice's tone was gentle again.
"Yeah he was my best friend." Bella sighed wistfully as a torrent of memories flashed before her eyes. "He pretty much saved my life when he took me-" Bella paused on the brink of telling Alice more than she was ready to divulge.
She glanced at Alice to see if she'd noticed the slip though the other girl's gaze remained compassionate and encouraging. "If I want this friendship to work I need to try and be open." Bella thought to herself, paraphrasing Alice's earlier encouragement.
Bella took a steadying breath before she spoke. "I mean, going to live with him was really good for me." Bella said amending her near admission and keeping her eyes focused on the trail ahead of them. "I don't know how I would've survived without Charlie. The traveling was honestly a lucky bonus. It's an indescribable feeling experiencing this country from the passenger's seat." Bella looked at her vampire companion as she finished. Though she hadn't revealed any real details of her upbringing Bella still felt uncomfortably vulnerable.
Alice smiled. "I'm glad you had him around then and that you got to share that with him!" Her golden eyes became serious for a moment as she continued "I hope one day you'll feel comfortable being more open with me but I recognize and appreciate your effort."
Bella was taken aback by Alice's candor but accepted the sincerity of her words. "Yeah well…" She rubbed at the back of her neck awkwardly. "I'm not really in a position to pass up friends who know I'm a wolf and I hear friendship is a two way honest street so…" She trailed off unsure where she left her point.
"So am I going to have to ask you again or…" Alice prodded after a moment of silent walking.
Bella snorted. "That was fast. What happened to 'I hope one day you'll be more open?'"
"I'm just trying to get to know my best friend. I promise I won't pry, just tell me anything you want me to know. Besides you know what they say: there's no time like the present!" Alice replied with a large grin.
"Damn you're like a dog with a bone." Bella said with a chuckle.
"Look who's talking, Rover!" Alice laughed back.
"Oh wow, see if I answer your question now!" Bella fired back.
"I see my best friend is stubborn and difficult. Don't worry this puppy dog pout will wear you down!" Alice cried as she leveled Bella with her trademark puppy eyes and perfect pout.
"Woah hey put that away. That's completely unfair. My poor heart is breaking at the mere sight of such a look!" Bella cried dramatically clutching at her chest.
"Answer the question and I may spare your life yet!" Alice said whilst, very impressively, still maintaining her pout.
"Alright, alright fine. If you're really so interested." Bella sighed. "I'm not exactly...welcome in the wolf world. Charlie was from a fairly small pack and when he took me in we couldn't go back to them without causing trouble. Being a loner is hard for an adult wolf but it really fucks us up as pups. Charlie figured being socialized among the humans was better than leading a fully loner existence."
"So that's why you go to human school?" Alice asked gently.
"Yep." Bella responded simply.
"And why are you in Forks?"
Bella shrugged. "The La Push pack is the only place I'm somewhat welcome among wolves. This is the plan Charlie gave me in case he died. I'm just following orders I guess." Bella let out a humorless chuckle that rang painfully hollow in Alice's ears.
The silence that now stretched between the new friends was suffocating. As Alice was wracking her mind for a way to bring back the earlier jokes and camaraderie she heard Bella gasp. Looking up Alice realized they'd reached the crest of the hike. She smiled as she took in the beautiful scene before them.
It looked like there were endless rolling hills of lush green forest ahead of them. The forest stretched from the horizon to a valley below the ridge where they now stood. With their keen eyesight they could see much more vibrant detail than the average human but anyone would agree to the untamed beauty of what they were seeing. Looking closer as she peered over the edge Alice took note of several deer resting and drinking by the edge of the Calawah river running through the valley.
"Take a look at this." Alice called gesturing at the scene below them. "Think this is a worthy scene for our canopy image?" She boasted.
Bella walked carefully over to the edge and a wide grin crept along her face. "Alice this is amazing! Definitely perfect for our canopy." Bella turned her gaze to find Alice wearing a matching grin.
Just then Bella's stomach gurgled loudly causing both young women to giggle at the timing.
"I guess hunger waits for no art?" Alice said lamely.
"That joke was so bad I nearly lost my appetite." Bella teased.
"A wolf with no appetite? Now that's a bad joke." Alice responded as she watched Bella remove some wrapped packages from her bag. "What ya got there?" She questioned.
"Oh just a few ham sammies. I figured I'd be getting hungry at some point so I came prepared." Bella kept her focus on stacking her sandwiches in front of herself. "Do you want one? I always bring extra?" She offered one of the wrapped sandwiches to Alice.
"Nah I'm okay. Human food doesn't sit very well with my kind." Alice replied honestly. "I am feeling a little peckish though. I'm just gonna pop down to the valley and hunt up a deer or two to tide me over until lunch. Do you need to take a picture of the scene before I disturb it?" she asked.
"Nah," Bella responded around a mouthful of ham. "Got it all stored in the vault. Picture perfect memory on this model." She continued as she tapped slightly at her temple. "I never forget anything." She finished after swallowing.
"Gross. I'm both impressed and disgusted at how articulate you are when you eat." Alice laughed slightly. "Anyways I'll be right back." She waved as she stepped backwards off the ledge.
Bella spent the majority of her second, third and fourth sandwiches watching Alice hunt. It was surprisingly mesmerizing to watch the other girl hunt, something poetic in the way she took down an animal. Once or twice the sun broke through the overhead cloud cover and Bella was treated to the sight of Alice's sparkly skin as she chased after her prey. "Maybe I can get her to teach me to do that." Bella mused as she licked a remnant of mustard from her finger.
Only if she doesn't tire of you first.
The words hissed along Bella's mind and suddenly sandwich number 5 didn't taste so good anymore.
How long can you keep up this charade before she realizes what a pathetic waste you are? You'll be a disappointment to her too soon enough.
Bella did her best not to let the voice in her mind overshadow the mostly pleasant day she'd been having. Luckily for her Alice chose that moment to climb back up to the ridge.
"Nothing like a before lunch run and after hunt climb to make you feel like an apex predator!" Alice stated jovially as she sat beside Bella and looked out at the world on view before them. "Are wild pigs your favorite to hunt or is that just the catch of the day?" Alice asked, gesturing at Bellas half eaten pile of sandwiches.
"Oh uh no I...I got this at the deli in town…" Bella trailed off mumbling so low under her breath even Alice's vampire hearing didn't catch it.
"What was that last thing you said? I couldn't really hear you."Alice prodded gently.
Bella sighed. "I'mnotmuchofahunter" she rushed out in one breath. Pleading that Alice would just drop the subject.
"Is that all?! You don't have to be embarrassed over that." Alice did her best to reassure Bella and help ease the blush that had overtaken the other girl's face. "Look everyone has to start somewhere. You think I was jumping off cliffs and taking down deer by a river in the first- how old are you?" Alice looked to Bella expectantly.
"I-what...oh I'm 17." Bella responded caught off guard by the abrupt question.
"See? You're only 17! I definitely wasn't a good hunter until I was a vampire for a good 10-15 years. Before that Carlisle and Edward did most all my hunting for me." Alice shook her head and laughed remembering her early attempts at hunting. "Trust me you've got time to learn. I'm sure someone from the La push pack could teach you." She suggested hopefully.
"I doubt it." Bella mumbled loud enough to be heard this time. "I was actually wondering if you wouldn't mind teaching me?" Bella kept her gaze focused on the horizon far ahead stealing herself for Alice to reject the idea.
"Yeah sure. I've been trying to teach Rosalie for the longest anyways so I've got practice as a hunting coach." Alice replied casually.
"Cool cool cool." Bella replied. "Maybe over winter break in a few months or something."
"Yeah that sounds good to me." Alice replied genuinely. "Are you all set on your sandwiches?" She asked, gesturing at the pile of wrappers where the sandwiches had once been stacked. "We still have ⅔ of this loop to do, not to mention the walk to my place."
"I wish I'd brought more sandwiches. I'm still fucking starving!" Bella whined as she began to clean up her debris. "Any idea what your...coven mother?" Bella trailed off slightly looking to Alice questioningly.
"Just mother is fine." Alice replied.
"Right. Do you know what your mother is making for lunch?" Bella finished.
Alice simply shrugged in reply. "I don't know but the La Push wolves always ask us to bring some of her dishes when we meet up for events so I'm sure you'll like it. She's a really great cook and even spent a few decades as a professional chef in paris."
"I thought you guys couldn't eat human food?" Bella thought she might've misunderstood Alice's earlier statement.
"We can't. Esme makes these amazing blood and raw meat dishes when we get together. I honestly think Esme's cooking could've ended the Vampire/Wolf feuds way sooner if she'd been around back then." Alice laughed at the thought of Esme forcing the warlords of history to sit for a civil meal.
Bella stomach chose to gurgle loudly in that moment. "Well then I can't wait to see what it is she's making!" She said as she rubbed at her stomach gently. "How much longer did you say we'd be hiking exactly before we get to your place?"
A/N: Next chapter will be lunch with the Cullens. R & R
Sorry for the lengthy wait between updates. There are 2 reasons for it. 1. As you all know the world is turned upside down right now. Its hard to find calm in the chaos so I can write. 2. Also I'm obsessed with the show Dynasty right now and that's taking a lot of my focus. It's bad TV but damn do I love Liz Gillies.
Anyways be assured that I Will finish this story. I have this whole story mapped out and I'm just as eager to see this story through as any of you are to read it.