Chapter 7: The Meeting

Chapter 7: The Meeting

Aro POV

“Here she is master!” Jane called as she entered the room. I smiled at her, and the guard members around me began to snicker as the girl came into view. I too watched her, curious.

She was fairly tall, maybe 5’ 9”, with light brown hair that fell straight to her shoulders and eyes the colour of rain clouds -light grey, with a little sparkle in them- behind rectangular glasses with thin lilac frames. Her skin was peachy, fair with a little tan, her features rounded and irregular, with full, naturally pink lips. She wore blue jeans and a tight pale pink t-shirt that showed her curves; she had an hourglass figure, though she wasn’t skinny, with wide hips and a full bust.

Her stance was confident, without a trace of fear, her expression curious as she studied the room around her.

She stopped in the middle of the floor and bobbed a curtsy, bowing her head respectfully.

“Bonjourno Aro,” she said her voice steady and her accent perfect.

“Bonjourno,” I replied, a hint of a smile on my lips. “We are on unequal footing my dear. You know me, but I know nothing about you.”

She smiled too. “Ask away sir. I will answer any questions you have.”

I got up from my seat and walked slowly towards her. She made no movement, only watching me with polite interest, her hands folded in front of her. I began with the most conventional question.

“What is your name child?”

“Rebecca Kathleen Wainwright, sir.”

I continued to walk slowly, circling around her while she looked straight ahead.

“And how old are you?”

“That depends sir.”

I was intrigued. “On?”

“Whether you mean my true age or the age I appear to be, sir.”

What an amusing young girl! Such a novel way of speaking. She smirked, as if she had heard my thought.

“Very well. What say you to giving us both?”

“Of course sir. In physical age I am at this moment 18 years old, but my true age is only 14.”

What? How could that be possible? Did she grow quickly? Or something else, something even I couldn’t imagine.

It was Caius who voiced my confusion.

“How is this possible?” he thundered, leaping up.

The guard shrank back in terror.

Rebecca didn’t even flinch.

She smiled at him sweetly, though her eyes were hard and cold like steel. Her tone remained polite as she spoke.

“My necklace sir.”

She pointed to a silver chain at her throat. The neckline of her t-shirt was just low enough to show the little bow that hung from it, sparkling as it was caught in a chance ray of sun slanting in through one of the thin windows. I was instantly captivated by it.

She looked up at me. “I’m afraid you can’t have it Aro,” she said, a touch of the steel in her eyes leaking into her voice, “It’s my only way home. Besides, it wouldn’t work for you anyway.”

I started. “You can hear my thoughts?”

“Yes sir, but only if I am listening or if you want me to hear.”

“And your necklace lets you do this too?” I asked.

“Yes sir. It can do anything.” she smiled, before adding, “for me.”

“Do you know what surrounds you Rebecca?” Marcus asked, speaking for the first time.

“Yes sir.” Rebecca smiled at him warmly. It was interesting, but also slightly confusing, to watch her, the different responses she gave each of us, her manner differing from person to person, though always polite.

“And what is that?” he said, continuing his question.

“Vampires sir,” she replied calmly.

“And are you frightened my dear?” I asked.

Her chin jutted out, as if she were insulted by the question. “No sir. I have confidence in my ability to protect myself.”

The guard snickered again and Caius laughed out loud. I smirked.

Rebecca’s hands clenched into fists and her expression turned murderous.

“It is not in your best interest to underestimate me Caius,” she almost growled, spitting his name between her teeth, “That is a mistake you would regret very quickly.”

The laughter got louder...and then died away as Rebecca’s eyes closed and a soft glow emanated from her. Her eyes snapped open and they were no longer the colour of rain clouds, or like solid steel.

They were golden.

A shocked hiss ran through the room, only to be silenced by a feral snarl that ripped from between Rebecca’s lips like the roar of a lion.

There was a beat of dead silence before anyone could compose themselves enough to speak.

I still stood near to Rebecca, just a few metres away, and so I took it upon myself to speak first.

“Ah yes,” I said, smiling despite my feeling of unease, “my spies told me about this. An interesting little trick; changing yourself into one of us and then back again. I wonder...”

She turned on me, her manner hostile rather than polite, her eyes blazing and fury so prominent in her perfected features that it seemed like she would never smile again. I took an involuntary step back, stunned for a second by the force of her anger.

“Oh, spare us the theatrics Aro,” she growled, “You can have your precious tests if you wish, but be clear in your intent. I have no patience today, and I wish to be on my way.”

“Very well,” I said, still a little muddled, “Felix!”

I snapped my fingers and Felix’s huge form separated itself from the light grey crowd at the edge of the room. He stalked forward, a cruel little smile on his lips.

Rebecca turned to face him, also smiling; but her smile was not cruel, it was assured. She was, as she had said, confident in her own abilities. I had never seen anyone look so sure of themselves when faced by Felix. Most people, vampire or otherwise, were terrified of him.

She sank into a low crouch, her weight forward on her right leg, and waved him forward.

Felix charged, hands out, ready to grab her around the waist as he passed. But she moved too quickly for him. At the last second, she reached out and grabbed his wrists, then lifted him off the ground, shifting from one foot to the other and swinging him over her head. Releasing his wrists at just the right moment, she sent him soaring across the room to crash into the wall over Marcus’s head.

Rebecca grinned as Felix got up and brushed the dust off of his clothes, his face a mixture of surprise and fury. He charged her again, but she caught him once more, this time throwing him up towards the ceiling. As he came back down, she took a fighting stance, feet apart, knees bent, hands ready to strike. As he came level with her, her fist snapped out, catching his jaw and sending him flying again.

The rest of the fighters leapt into action, spreading out until they completely surrounded her, before closing in. For one half-second, she was entirely obscured by grey shapes. Then there was a flash of bright light and they were all on their backs, Rebecca standing tall and proud in the centre of the circle, hands on hips, that infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she studied the toppled figures around her.

Once again, the room was filled with a shocked silence. Then Caius began to clap. Slowly, sarcastically, his trademark sneer firmly in place.

“Excellent Rebecca!” he said, almost crooning, “You will make a fine addition to our fighting force.”

She turned on him, furious once again. She snarled, and then began to yell, the words exploding out of her so loud that they rang around the room, making several people clamp their hands over their ears.

“If you are honestly deluded enough to think that I would join your stupid, sycophantic killing squad, you’ve got another thing coming. You are exactly the opposite of what I stand for, and don’t think you can threaten me, because I am ten times as powerful as you and I don’t have to hide behind muscle the way you do.”

The guard growled in sync, but Rebecca paid no attention to them. She turned on her heel and darted out of the door, pushing the two vampires that tried to stop her back onto the floor.

“Get her!” Caius screeched, and the sound of Rebecca’s footsteps picked up pace, fading away faster as half the guard charged out of the door behind her.

I had a feeling this was one chase we were going to lose.

Chapter 6: The Invitation

Chapter 6: The Invitation

When I opened the door, I was surprised to find a folded piece of yellowing paper on my door mat. The outside was addressed ‘To Becky’. The writing was neat and elegant, a slightly Gothic twist to the letters.

I dumped the piano books on the hall table and picked up the note, crossing into the living room and flopping down on the couch before I unfolded it.

My heartbeat picked up as I read the note.

It has come to my attention that you have been spending time with a young lady by the name of Alice Cullen. Judging by what my guard heard of your conversation, and the manner in which Miss Cullen left your home, on Wednesday night, I am sure you will be aware of what she and the rest of her family really are. You will also be aware, no doubt, of who I am and why I am writing to you.

I would very much like to meet you personally. Call the number at the bottom of the page and my secretary will make you an appointment.

You would be wise not to delay, my dear Becky.

We do not offer second chances.

Yours,

Aro of the Volturi

I was utterly frozen for one half second. Then the panic washed over me.

What was I going to do? If I didn’t go to Volterra, Aro would send the guard here, and that could not be allowed to happen.

But he had said his guard saw me and Alice, and heard us talking. What were they even doing here?

I decided it wasn’t worth worrying about until I absolutely had to. I hadn’t had a visit from Lillian since I arrived, so everything must still be on track. My focus now should be getting to Italy and back again before Monday without alerting a certain bronze-haired vampire or his easily panicked girlfriend. If Edward wouldn’t let Bella go 15 miles down the road to La Push, he certainly wasn’t going to let me go half way across the globe to visit vampire royalty. Not that I was as fragile as Bella was, but he would still kick up a fuss, and she would stress herself out with needless worrying.

I sighed. It would be impossible to keep this from them. All I could hope for was convincing them not to follow me when I went. And I would go; I had to, to protect them.

The phone number at the bottom of the note was fairly ordinary, but my fingers shook as I dialled.

“Hello, Volterra Enterprises, how may I help you?” a pleasant female voice answered.

“Hi, this is Rebecca Wainwright, I’ve been asked to make an appointment with a Mr Aro?” I made my sentence a question, as if I wasn’t quite sure I had the right name. Which was true; I didn’t know if he used an alias as part of the business façade.

“Of course! We’ve been waiting for your call.” The voice was light and bubbly, the Italian accent prominent but not overwhelming. “We have an opening at 5:00 pm on Saturday, will that be ok?”

I mentally flipped through all the relevant flight schedules, looking for something that could get me to Italy in time and back to America as soon after the meeting as possible. There were plenty to choose from, but, of course, with the nine hour time difference between Italy and western America, I would have to leave tomorrow afternoon to make it with a reasonable allowance for sleep. Still, it was possible. I thought through all this so quickly, the receptionist probably didn’t even notice my hesitation.

“Yes, that will be fine.” I said, making sure to sound light and positive.

“Wonderful,” the voice replied, and I could hear the smile in it, “We look forward to your visit.”

“Thank you,” I replied pleasantly before hanging up and hurrying upstairs to pack.

***

I knew Edward and Alice could feel my edginess the next day, but I took no notice of their sideways glances and suspicious looks, focussing on acting normal for Bella.

When I got home, I sat down at my desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. Undoubtedly, someone would call at some point this evening, and if I didn’t answer the phone they might decide to come over. I had to leave some explanation of my sudden disappearance, and the truth seemed like the best plan; I would never be able to come up with a feasible excuse, and, knowing Alice, she would probably search the house just to satisfy her own curiosity.

Alice, I wrote, reasoning that she would probably be the one to come.

I apologise for disappearing so suddenly, but I have a rather pressing problem that requires my immediate attention. All you need to know is:

1. I will be out of the country for approximately three days, and I should return sometime on Sunday night.

2. When I say the problem requires my immediate attention, I do mean mine and no one else’s. That means you don’t follow me, and you stop anyone else who tries; I don’t care if you have to tie Edward to a tree, NO ONE is to follow me.

3. You have to keep this from Bella at all costs. I am positive she will panic and that is never a good thing. If you can’t keep it from her, at least keep her calm (Jasper may come in handy for that one).

4. If you really want to know more, there is a note, addressed to me, in the top drawer of my desk that should explain everything.

5. If in doubt, text me. My mobile number is on a post-it by the phone.

I think that’s everything you need. One again, I’m sorry I can’t give you a better explanation, and please, please, PLEASE don’t follow me. I’m doing this for your own good. If I don’t go, the problem will come here, and that is a very bad thing if I want to keep things on track for Eclipse.

See you at school on Monday.

Becky

I folded the paper in half, wrote ‘Alice’ on the outside and propped it up against the phone on the hall table. I wrote my number on one of the pink heart shaped post-its I kept there for writing notes and stuck it to the receiver. Then I took my suitcase and travel bag from where they sat waiting at the foot of the stairs, and flew around to the garage, locking the door behind me.

I pulled out before stopping the car and stowing my bags, then locked the garage door and did a last sweep of the house.

When I was satisfied that everything was in place, I climbed back into the car and sped along my driveway, turning onto the road at the end and heading for the airport in Seattle.

***

I was waiting for my connection in New York when my phone buzzed. Ah ha! Someone must have noticed I was gone. I pulled it out and... Yep, ‘Incoming call, Alice Cullen’ was lighting up the screen. I hit the answer button and put it to my ear.

“Hi Alice.”

“BECKY ARE YOU TOTALLY CRAZY?!”

I winced and held the phone away as Alice’s shrill voice screeched at me. Even with the speaker an inch and a half away from my ear, I could still pick out each word with perfect clarity.

“YOU ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MIND! IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GO INTO THE VOLTURI STRONGHOLD AND COME OUT ALIVE YOU HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND NO EDWARD I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!”

“Please Alice; you’re giving me a head ache!” I pleaded as quietly as I could, not wanting to draw attention to myself in the crowded departure lounge. It seemed to work, because Alice took a deep breath and continued in a slightly more measured tone.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t send Emmet and Jasper after you right this second.”

“How about two?” I asked, and then continued before she could respond. “One, I do not need their help, because I am not some helpless human, and you know better than anyone what I am capable of. And two, if they end up in Volterra, Aro is going to know about it, and anything that reminds him about you guys is a very bad thing indeed.”

There was silence for a few seconds as Alice took all this in.

“Why is it bad?” she said, her voice quiet and serious.

I chewed on my lip, trying to come up with a way to explain it without giving anything away. When I was fairly sure I had it right, I spoke slowly and deliberately, trying to convey what I couldn’t say.

“If he is reminded of you, he is undoubtedly going to be reminded of Bella, and a certain agreement you made with him a few weeks ago. If that happens, he might decide to check on you earlier than he first planned. That’s another reason why I’m doing this of course; if I don’t go to him, he will come to Forks, or send someone, and he already knows I’m involved with you. Look, Alice, I really wish I could explain all of this; but I can’t, not without revealing the future, and there are some things even you can’t be allowed to know about.”

Another silence. Then the sound of the phone being passed from one hand to another.

“Becky, Alice is translating the Declaration of Independence into German in her head. What is she trying to hide?”

I smirked. Typical Alice. Typical Edward too, always wanting to know everything.

“I would guess that she is avoiding telling you what happened on Wednesday night after we went shopping, but she shouldn’t be, because I want you to know that I can take care of myself.”

“Who are you trying to protect Becky?” Edward asked, and his question threw me for a second.

“What?”

“You heard me. You’re obviously trying to protect someone, but who is it?”

I had to think about that for a minute.

I was shocked by a voice in my ear that wasn't Edward’s. It was loud and clear, like the person was standing right next to me.

You can’t keep this from him Becky, Lillian’s voice said, echoing around my head, you’re going to have to let a little bit slip. Not too much, mind. Time scales, deadlines, important dates, but no specifics. Just do what you did with Jacob and you’ll be fine.

Are you sure? I asked her hesitantly. I had to be positive that this was right.

I’ll stop you if you go wrong. Have faith Becky; let the powers of the Multi-verse guide you.

“Becky?” Edward asked. His voice was low and nervous.

I took a deep breath. “Listen to me Edward, and listen carefully. What I am about to tell you must stay between us, got it? No one can know besides you, me and Alice.”

There was a short pause. Then Edward spoke, his voice sombre now, serious.

“We’re listening.”

I took another breath to steady myself.

“Ok. I can only give you the timing; I can’t tell you anything in detail. It’s early April now. Eclipse is set to start in about a week, and then it’s pretty much solid story from there to next January. None of the Volturi is supposed to be anywhere near Forks until June, and, if all goes as it should, they won’t even think of visiting you specifically until August. If this goes wrong there will be major mix ups in the space-time continuum and I know that sounds cheesy but it’s the truth. If I don’t go to Volterra, they come to me. That is a very bad thing, because it throws everything off schedule. And of course, I would get the blame because it would be my fault. You asked who I’m trying to protect. I’m trying to protect myself. I’m trying to protect you, and Bella, and the people of Forks. I’m trying to protect the entire Multi-verse, and that isn’t something that’s easy to do. I’m risking so much just by telling you this; I can’t even explain it right. To put it as simply as possible, I would risk more by not going than I am by going. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful, but there’s no help for it.”

The tannoy pinged, announcing my flight.

“Look, I have to go, my connection is boarding. I’ll see you in school on Monday, ok?”

“Sure.” Alice answered, having apparently reclaimed the phone. Her voice shook slightly. Obviously the new information had had an adverse effect on her nerves.

“Text me if you need me.” I said, and then hung up as I approached the gate.

***

It was dark when the plane finally landed at the airport in Florence.

My car was waiting for me, not just an identical copy, but the exact same pink Mini I had left in Seattle. I wasn’t usually a selfish person, I liked to do things for others rather than myself, but sometimes even I couldn’t resist doing things just for the fun of it. Besides, it would be nice to actually drive it with the top down.

I climbed into the driver’s seat, popping the roof open before starting the engine and going on my way.

I had found a little village, about an hours drive from Volterra, with a small hotel, and had made reservations there over the phone while I waited for my first flight. It took me two hours to get there, for I wasn’t in a hurry and took every opportunity to admire the beautiful landscape around me. In my own world, Italy was the farthest I had been from home, on a family holiday to Tuscany when I was 13. We went in May, during a heat wave, and the sun shone everyday. It was beautiful, but good lord, it was hot. We had spent most of the time in the pool.

As I topped the last hill before my destination, I caught sight of the city, perched atop the next hill along. It was like every other town and city I had passed. There was nothing in its appearance to suggest it was any different from the others, and, to most people, it wasn’t.

Tomorrow I would enter that city. The very real possibility that I wouldn’t come back out should have terrified me. But all I felt was gratitude.

I was grateful that I was able to do this for my friends.

I was grateful that Alice and Edward had listened to me and stayed in Forks.

I was grateful for the time that I had had here.

And, most of all, I was grateful that even a serious injury would send me home, to my parents, and my friends, and my Alex.

I was still thinking about Alex as I lay in an unfamiliar bed in a generic hotel room half an hour later. As I drifted to sleep, I dreamt that I was home. I dreamt of half term in Cornwall, of walking along a beach at sunset, hand in hand with the most perfect boy on the planet. I dreamt of playing the piano for Eileen in the ballroom at Parks House. I dreamt of singing as Alex played his guitar, and of him singing to me. I imagined what he would say if he was here with me, what he would think of the Cullens, and what he would think of what I was doing now.

I could almost hear his voice, like he was lying next to me.

I can’t say I’m happy about this, Becks; but I trust you. I know you can take care of yourself, and I know you’ll come back to me, because you always do. God knows why; I’ve never done anything good enough to deserve you. I have faith in you. I know you can do this. You’ve gotten yourself out of tighter spots than this before, and I know you’ll do it again. Oh, and by the way...

I love you.

I smiled in my sleep, content in my dreams of my home and my Alex.

My heart.

My soul.

My one true love.

Chapter 4: Shopping With Becky

I decided to put this chapter in Alice’s POV for fun, and because I can describe things better this way. Hope you like it.

Chapter 4: Shopping with Becky

How long does it take to say ‘see you later’?

I loved Edward and Bella insanely, of course-they were my family- but sometimes their unwillingness to be apart, though romantic, was seriously annoying.

They had been standing by the red scrapheap Bella called a car for 5 minutes, and they showed no sign of moving. I knew Edward could feel my irritation, and, from what he was telling me yesterday, so could Becky. I glanced at her where she sat in her odd little car one space over. She was staring at Bella and Edward, like I had been, but her expression was soft, not irate. I realised I had seen that look before; the ‘happy-because-they’re-happy’ look that Esme always wore when she looked at them.

Becky turned, meeting my eye, and smirked. Then she looked back towards Edward, more intensely than before. He looked back at her, then glanced at me and grinned.

I stuck my tongue out at him. A vision of him getting into the car flashed through my head, and I smiled.

As if on cue, Edward kissed Bella softly for a moment and helped her into the truck. He closed the door - always the perfect gentleman - and watched her drive away, a serene smile on his face, before he turned and strolled towards us.

Becky’s engine roared to life. She pulled out and drove away just as Edward climbed into the car.

“Sorry Alice,” he said, still smiling like a love struck teenager- which he was.

“That’s ok Edward, you can’t help it.”

I wondered idly why Becky hadn’t left sooner, if she needed to go home first.

He laughed. “She waited so that she could be sure we would be home before she got there. She’s not sure she can handle the others alone.”

I didn’t blame her. There was nothing scarier than a pissed Rosalie.

***

About half an hour later, I was all set to go shopping.

Esme was excited about meeting Becky; we so rarely made human friends.

Carlisle was curious about her abilities and her knowledge of us, wondering just how far it went.

Jasper was nervous, unsure if he could control himself.

Rosalie was irritated, as predicted. In her opinion, the more humans we associated with, the greater our own personal danger. The fact that Becky already knew about us obviously made no difference to her.

I heard the sound of an engine that was rapidly becoming familiar, and tires turning onto the drive, and saw a flash of Becky’s car parked outside.

I squealed, making Jasper, who had his head in my lap, jump a foot in the air, and barrelled down the stairs to the door.

“Hi Alice I -WOAH!”

Becky tried to speak, but I cut her off with a huge hug, making her wobble. I didn’t know why I was so thrilled to see her; maybe because this was my first shopping trip with anyone who wasn’t crabby, whiny or older than me.

She laughed breathlessly.

“I swear Alice, you have too much energy for one person, especially one so tiny. How do you fit it all in there?”

“Ha ha very funny. Come on, the others are dying to meet you.”

“I’ll bet,” she smirked.

I pulled her into the house, eager to have this over with so we could go. Not that we were going to find much. Ugh! It was killing me that we only had time to get to Port Angeles, Seattle was so much better, and they had designers.

Edward had drifted down from his room and was playing the piano softly. Emmet was watching a ball game. Rosalie was tucked under his arm, doing nothing to hide her sullen expression. Jasper and Carlisle were just coming down the stairs and Esme hurried around the corner from the kitchen, a huge smile on her face.

“Hello,” she said, coming to stand a little way away from us, “You must be Becky. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Thank you Esme. I’m very happy to meet you too. Your house is even more beautiful than I imagined, and...” Becky blushed, “so are you.”

Esme laughed. “Well, that’s one I haven’t heard before.”

Carlisle laughed too, coming to stand beside her. “Hello Becky, my name is Carlisle.” He held out his hand and she shook it, smiling and nodding.

“Emmet, Rosalie, don’t just sit there, say hello.” Esme chastised.

“Yo.” Emmet called in his big booming voice, raising one hand, but not turning his eyes from the screen.

Becky giggled. “Hi Em. Hello Rose. Oh!” she gasped, “I’m sorry, please don’t think I’m being informal or over familiar or anything, it’s just I’ve read so much about you, I feel like I know you already.”

“Don’t worry about it Becky.” Emmet really turned to look at her now, grinning like a lunatic. Rose just scowled.

Jazz was staring at Becky, looking totally perplexed. She noticed, and smiled at him.

“Something the matter Jasper?” she asked, making all of us start, because no one had introduced him yet. She giggled.

“Silly, I know everything about you,” she paused, looking straight into his eyes, “Major Whitlock.”

Jazz’s jaw dropped, and his eyes bugged out of their sockets. Edward was staring at her too, and I knew what he was thinking, what both of us were thinking, under the shock: she knew what Bella knew about us, but we hadn’t told her Jasper’s story yet, nor did Edward plan to. How could Becky know?

I shook the thought out of my head. Two of the four books hadn’t happened yet; Jasper’s story must come sometime in the future, but I couldn’t see, because the decisions wouldn’t be made for a while.

“We better go if we’re going to make it home before ten Becky,” I said, tugging on her arm.

“Ok,” Becky grinned, “I guess I’ll see you guys soon. It was nice to meet all of you. See you at school Edward.”

“Bye Becky.” Edward called, having to shout a bit, as I had already pulled Becky out the door and halfway down the steps to her car.

***

Shopping with Becky was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was strange to have someone who was as enthusiastic about the process as I was.

The few times I had dragged Bella shopping, she merely grumbled and let me do my own thing, accepting that Alice would be Alice and only complaining that I shouldn’t spend so much money on her.

Whenever I went with Rosalie, she chose her own clothes, and was much more interested in her own reflection than anything else. I was left to my own devices while she twirled in front of mirrors, so it was more like shopping alone.

With Becky, there was a balance. She was someone who didn’t mind me choosing her clothes, and then had fun trying them on. She suggested things that she liked, but accepted when they didn’t look good on her, which wasn’t often, as she looked good in a range of different colours and styles. She had changed out of that hideous school uniform into a pair of dark blue jeans and a black short sleeved t shirt, ditching the omnipresent rain jacket in favour of a fuchsia pink hoody. It was casual, but it suited her.

Everything suited her. Jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, t shirts, blouses, all manner of shoes, from heels to high tops, and all kinds of colours; green, blue, black, yellow, orange, red, brown, pink and purple; though she did favour the last two above others, and she liked floaty, feminine clothes more than trousers.

I was having so much fun; it didn’t bother me that I hadn’t had a single vision all afternoon. I didn’t care that everything I did see was fuzzy and indistinct. Though I’d been dreading a small selection, I didn’t mind when we actually got there, and we found almost three bags full of pretty decent clothes that would hold up in the unpredictable Forks weather, and would still be acceptable for her to take home to England.

It happened as we were driving along the black highway between Port Angeles and Forks at about nine o'clock.

The sun had set, and the night was deep blue, the moon a bright light in the sky, almost full, the stars twinkling like diamonds. Becky and I were chatting, as we had been all afternoon, about anything and everything, when quite suddenly, there was someone in our path. Becky slammed on the brakes, pulling to a stop just inches from the figure, who didn’t even flinch. I knew in an instant that it was a nomad; someone who wandered from place to place, never stopping anywhere for long, and answering to no one but themselves.

Before I had time to process this, Becky was out of the car, rushing towards the statue-like vampire with a concerned expression.

BECKY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? THAT IS A VAMPIRE YOU KNOW! I yelled at the top of my mental voice, praying she would hear me. She seemed to, because she twisted round slightly to wink at me. I realised she was acting, making the nomad think that we were both ordinary humans.

“Oh my gosh, are you ok?” she asked, putting on an American accent and making her voice sound flustered, “I’m so sorry, I really didn’t see you there. My god, I could have killed you! I’m so sorry.”

“Not a problem madam,” the stranger answered, his voice silky and seductive, “It was my fault entirely, I wasn’t listening for traffic as I should have been. If there’s anyway I can make it up to you and your delightful friend, you have but to say the word.” The double meaning in his words would have been obvious to a seven year old.

“Actually, there is something you can do for us,” Becky said, sounding a little smug, “You can get the hell out of our territory.”

The nomad suddenly looked flabbergasted. “I beg your pardon? I...”

He trailed off, his eyes widening, as Becky glowed softly, lifting slightly off the ground and tilting her head back. When she resettled, everything was the same for one half second. Then the nomad yelped and raced into the trees at top speed.

What on earth? What had Becky done that could terrify a vampire? I got out of the car and hurried over to her.

“Becky? What was that?”

She didn’t answer. She just turned so that she was facing me.

It was the biggest shock I had ever had in my life.

Her skin had gone from plain to alabaster, bumpy to smooth, and dull to shimmering. Every feature was perfectly formed, angular, but with a soft, subtle curve, and her body had had all the creases smoothed out. Even in her baggy hoody, she looked like she had just stepped off a runway. Her mousey hair had turned a glorious shade of light, gold flecked brown. Most shocking of all, her once grey eyes were a brilliant gold, just like mine.

If my heart had been beating, it would have stopped.

“Becky. What... what did you do?” My voice was breathless and weak.

“You like it?” she asked in a voice like golden syrup, smiling sweetly with glittering teeth, “I worked out how to do this on Monday. It’s absolutely perfect, not a single fault. And it’s so much fun! I made it home in all of five minutes.” She grinned at me wickedly.

“But... how could you do that? If you turned yourself on Monday... you were human Tuesday morning and... Becky, how do you go back?”

“Easy! Well, not so easy, it takes a lot of concentration to do this, but it’s fairly simple once you get the hang of it.”

Becky closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A little frown crossed her features as she focused, then the soft glow returned. She didn’t lift this time, but I could see the changes: hair that had been shining turned dull; skin darkened; stunning vampiric perfection became average human beauty. Her eyes were ashy grey again when they opened.

“Ok, that is just crazy,” I said, when I could speak again. Becky laughed.

“Yeah, life gets pretty mad when I’m around. Alex always says the only thing more unpredictable than hanging out with me is the British weather.” She laughed again.

My interest perked up again, madness forgotten, as we climbed into the car. “Who’s Alex?” I asked. Becky blushed.

“He’s, um... he’s my boyfriend at home. He was the one who suggested I come here.”

“He knows about you?”

“Yeah, ever since I had this really bad accident and I decided to tell him everything.” She smiled, her expression soft. “He always really understands. He doesn’t freak out or anything and he can spot when I want to go travelling before I even know it. Little things, he says, like reading the same book over and over, or doodling, or talking about something a lot; they're signs that tell him that I’m bored with normal life and need a break.” She looked at the road, and I don’t think I imagined the tear on her cheek.

“Do you miss him?”

She nodded. “We were supposed to be spending the week together, for the school holidays, but he told me to come here, have some fun. I think he’s going to see his dad in London.”

I could see that this was hard for Becky, so I dropped the subject and started asking her more about her girl friends at school. They sounded hilarious, always doing silly things and making her laugh.

We had decided that I would back to Becky’s house and help her put away the new stuff, then run home afterwards. I got a little worried as we carried on down the road; we were getting awfully close to the boundary line. Did she know about it, or should I tell her?

Just when I was sure we were going to cross over, she turned onto a driveway that wound through the trees like a ribbon, following the treaty line exactly. When the drive opened into a wide grassy lawn, the line seemed to split in two, with our scents on one side, and the wolves on the other.

Becky left me to wander while she made herself dinner, humming along to the music that filled the house thanks to the speakers in every room, controlled from a central hub in the lounge.

The inside of Becky’s house was predictably girly and fun. Everything was decorated in varying shades of pink and purple, with flowery prints and smooth curves. Two sides of the house were completely glass, and the other windows were huge.

The main hallway opened out on either side with arches through to a huge living room and a kitchen-come-dinning room, and a door through to a small study with a desk, laptop and pigeon holes for stationary, similar to the ones in Esme’s office.

Upstairs there were two large rooms, one on each side, with frosted glass double doors. On the left was a large dance studio; sand coloured floor, ballet bar, one mirrored wall and a huge stereo. More glass doors opened onto a small balcony overlooking the garden. On the right was Becky’s bedroom. The walls were pale lilac, the floor carpeted in a darker lavender colour. The bed was a big four poster with fuchsia curtains and a baby pink bedspread. It had two pillows, and a dark pink comforter patterned with blanket badges was laid across the covers. At one end of the room was a small door leading to a blue and white bathroom, and at the other, a set of double sliding doors gave access to a walk in closet only a little smaller than mine. But, unlike mine, this closet had nothing in it except a single purple suitcase and the shopping bags Becky had dumped when we got in.

All in all, it was a nice house that suited Becky perfectly, showing her personal taste and feelings. I liked it; it was somewhere anyone would be comfortable.

I stayed for a little while longer, chatting and giggling about this, that and everything in between, until Becky yawned loudly and I decided it was time I headed home so that she could get some sleep. She thanked me for the shopping trip, and I ran still smiling from the satisfaction of an enjoyable shopping trip.

For some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being followed.

Chapter 3: School

Chapter 3: School

The next morning, as I drove my new car into the school parking lot, I was acutely aware of everyone staring at me. Good, they needed a taste of quality British engineering.

I had made the car that morning, and it was absolutely perfect. A BMW Mini Convertible; small, square, two doors, shining pale pink in the weak light that filtered through the clouds, with a black soft top sheltering me from the biting wind. I could see the car fanatics descending as I parked next to Edward’s distinctive silver Volvo. As soon as I was in the space, I grabbed my bag, climbed out and locked the car, all in about 5 seconds. I winked at the boys drooling over my car, and crossed the lot to where Edward, Alice and Bella were leaning against the rusty red Chevy and gawking at me, just like everyone else. I pretended not to notice.

“Morning!” I said brightly, “How’s your head Alice?”

“Fine, thank you.” Alice was smiling too, perfectly at ease. “It hardly hurts at all now.”

“That’s good. I don’t want to cause you pain.”

I was happy that Alice seemed to like me. I wanted to be friends with all of them as soon as possible.

“What car is that?” Bella asked, sounding uncharacteristically interested.

“You like it? It’s a Mini.” I replied smiling wider.

Even Edward looked confused. “What does that mean?” he asked.

Ok, I knew the Mini was a British thing, but I didn’t realise it was that unheard of overseas.

I sighed and looked bored, like I was explaining this to a small child for the tenth time.

“It’s a BMW Mini Cooper S-class convertible with a custom Bubblegum Pink paint job and a Sony Basspumper sound system. 125 brake horsepower, top speed 150 mph, and V6 engine. My dream car; ostentatious, but I couldn’t resist.” I shrugged.

“Impressive! And you just made this out of thin air?” Edward asked.

“You catch on fast!” I grinned at him. “I made a whole house for myself. It’s only a few miles from yours; you should come over sometime.” I glanced at my watch.

“Good lord, is that the time? I better get to class. See you at lunch!” I called over my shoulder as I made my way to the Maths building for Calculus, leaving a trail of stunned students in my wake.

I was definitely going to like it here.

***

That day passed in a blur. My teachers welcomed me warmly and seemed impressed by my willingness to contribute, even though I was new and behind. My 2^nd hour Government teacher said he had never met anyone so polite and friendly. The other students seemed to like me almost instantly; by the end of Music 3^rd hour, I had been introduced to everybody, and 5 different boys had asked to walk me to my next class, including Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley. Jessica Stanley made her usual show of buddying up with the new kid, but I tried to be nice and give her an example of true friendship.

I met Mike Newton in Spanish. He was very helpful, explaining things to me so I could catch up. I hadn’t done Spanish in years, (English schools only offer French and German) and the knowledge I had was incredibly basic. He walked with me to lunch, and seemed delighted that I was already sitting at their table, although his face fell a little when I started chatting to Alice and Angela before I was in my seat. Mike was part of what Bella referred to as ‘the us side’, but he wasn’t as comfortable around the Cullens as Angela was. He talked to Ben about comics and movies, while we talked fashion and Edward and Bella had a quiet conversation of their own, concerning Bella’s desire to visit Jake over the weekend.

After lunch I walked to class with Bella again, and we talked until the teacher called us to order. Even then, I was still talking. Just not out loud.

Edward asked me questions all lesson, listening intently to my answers. He liked that we could have conversations in our heads. It was nice for him, he said, to have someone to talk to, to alleviate the boredom of the class that he’d done who knew how many times before. He asked questions about my life, my school, my hobbies, and I flashed him pictures of mum and dad, our house, my friends, dance lessons, and Alex. He heard the sadness in my thoughts and he was very sympathetic, letting me know he understood, before switching tracks and quizzing me on the events of the past year, testing how much the books had taught me, and filling in some of the blanks for my benefit.

It was comforting, and I was happy to have found so many good friends here.

When I left, people waved to me like I had been there for years, instead of only a day and a half. I went to sleep that night happy and content.

***

The next day at lunch, Alice was looking me over with a speculative expression.

“Honestly Becky,” she moaned when I paused to take a bite out of my pizza, “You can wear anything you want to school and you wear that?” She waved a hand over me, making a face.

To be honest, I hadn’t been thinking about clothes. After the first day, when I’d left on the jeans and t shirt I was already wearing, I hadn’t bothered with fussing about my appearance; just throwing on the school uniform I had packed and tying my hair up like I did at home.

Apparently, Alice didn’t approve of the white blouse, black trousers and black, blue and white striped school tie that made me feel at home.

I sighed.

“I feel comfortable in these clothes Alice. They’re me.”

“Still, you could try and wear something else.” Alice was definitely scheming now; I could see it in her face.

“I don’t have that much to choose from. I only brought one case of clothes. Actually, I could use a shopping trip.”

Better to arrange it now than get kidnapped later. I added mentally, pulling my barrier back so Edward could hear.

He snorted, coughing to cover it up and grinning at me. Alice glared at him briefly then turned back to me. “Well, I’m not busy tonight. We could go to Port Angeles after school.”

I considered that for a second. I did need some new clothes. England was rainy, but I still had very few clothes that could put up with the extreme and wildly diverse weather of Forks. And it would be nice to get to know Alice better. Why not?

“Sure, I’m not doing anything tonight. I’ll have to pop home and get changed, and then I’ll meet you at your house.” For some reason, I didn’t want to reveal the exact location of my house just yet.

I smiled as I considered shopping with Alice in a place with such a limited range as Port Angeles.

And then I felt a nervous twist in my stomach as I contemplated meeting the other Cullens.

This was going to be interesting.