I believe in everything until it’s disproved.
So I believe in fairies, the myths, the dragons.
It all exists, even if it's in your mind.
Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares
aren’t as real as the here and now?
~ John Lennon
We were heading to Forks for the fall break from school. I was so nervous to meet the Cullens, but I was ecstatic to see my family again. They had been invited to visit for our first day back, and for Thanksgiving dinner later in the month.
I couldn't possibly describe the butterflies in my stomach over Frank, a houseful of vampires and wolves, and food that only half the attendees would partake in.
There was nothing odd about any of that, right?
Nah.
The drive was long, but not as bad as it could have been. I agreed we should take Edward’s Volvo because it had enough room for our suitcases and for Frank’s paraphernalia, including the carrier I’d bought. I wanted him to have a safe place to hide in case things got to be too much for him. He’d filled out since I first found him, and was even fluffier, if possible. He didn't run away every time Edward came into the same room as him, but it was still his reaction most of the time. I had woken up a few times to find a furry ball curled up near my face, so I supposed that was progress.
As we came closer to Forks, I rolled my window down to breathe in the nostalgia. The town felt familiar, though I couldn’t remember ever really being there. I'd spent my years in La Push without exploring anything but the forests outside the boundary lines, but I recognized the hardware store and the Woolworths-turned-grocery. I racked my brain, thinking I’d seen pictures online when job hunting, but in reality I hadn't seen anything but the art gallery/bookstore and a few garage apartments.
We turned off the highway onto a barely noticeable stretch of dirt driveway, and my attention shifted. Ancient trees with multi-colored leaves crowded out the sky until I felt like I was in another world where only legendary creatures roamed. I expected dinosaurs to emerge from the overgrowth, but I would settle for vampires and werewolves. A house came into sight, the house, from behind the tall and straight pines surrounding it. There was an expansive, fading lawn covered in fallen leaves, and what looked like a lake past the side yard in the back, but the house dominated my view. Multi-leveled with windows to spare and decks jutting from all sides, it had faded grey siding and a deeply pitched roof. Now I pictured fairy tale beauties meandering through the grass, such as Little Bo Peep and her flock.
“Are you ready?”
I'd been so focused on the home that I missed that we'd stopped. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I grabbed Frank's cage but left the rest; we had plenty of time to get our things later. Edward took my hand as we climbed onto the porch, and I felt much more calm and centered. He opened the door and I set the cat carrier near the coat rack.
“Hello,” Edward called in a normal voice.
A short female came streaking around the corner and stopped suddenly in front of me. I was prepared for Alice, but, really, how prepared can anybody be for this one? She held her arms out and I stepped into them, letting her very gently hug me. Her body felt like a tiny snowman in my arms, and I shivered.
“Oh, you do smell good. Not like that awful wet dog smell.”
Oh, her voice! It was just as small as her stature.
“Yes, yes, she smells fucking delicious. May I have a hug?”
I couldn't help but laugh at Edward's reaction. The two of them hugged and turned back to me. “Not that introductions are truly necessary, but Bella, Alice. Alice, Bella.”
“It's so nice to finally meet you. The others are on the back deck. We didn't want to overwhelm you.”
I shrugged. “I'm not fragile. Let's go say hello.”
Alice granted me a huge smile. I followed her black bob as she bounced on the balls of her feet through the living room. Everything was done in shades of grey and white, with a large sectional sofa taking up the majority of the space. There was a full wall of windows with open glass doors at the center. The ceiling soared to the second story, and I craned my neck to see the loft-like opening to the next floor up.
My attention was diverted as we stepped over the threshold and onto the polished wood of an expansive deck. There were five more vampires waiting to greet me. I located them all by name based on the verbal dossier of information Edward had given me. His mother and father, Esme and Carlisle, were in the front. His brother-in-law Jasper was next to Esme, and his sister-in-law Rosalie stood in front of his brother Emmett on the other side of Carlisle. They could be mistaken for a family in a Norman Rockwell painting if one overlooked the strange eyes and pale skin, and the fact that none were actually related.
“I hear you have a cat,” Emmett piped up from behind his statuesque mate. “Did Eddie eat it on the way here?”
Somebody snickered, I think it was Jasper, and then they were all laughing. Esme came forward and asked permission to hug me, and the others greeted Edward before moving over to me. They were all quite graceful, even Emmett with his bulk. They moved seamlessly, with no jerky human movements. Nobody blinked, and only some of them appeared to breathe.
It was surreal.
And then it was Emmett’s turn to greet me, and he picked me up as he hugged me. If Alice was a tiny snowman, he was a Yeti. “You have no idea the change I've seen in Edward,” he said as he looked directly into my eyes after setting me down carefully. “He's almost a different man.”
“It's a good thing he went to Alaska while you were separated. I probably would've drop-kicked him and his sorry ass. There's a reason his brothers call him sullen Cullen.”
A little shocked at her words, I stared at Rosalie. “Well, he's not sad now. That's the product of getting some on a regular basis.” I thought back to the forest, and how many trees we'd broken before making it to the parking lot. My back had been scratched up from the bark, which thankfully healed quickly, or I might have had a broody man on my hands again.
Emmett was laughing. “I knew I would like you.”
I smiled in return, and even Rose’s mouth quirked at the corners. Jasper came over to join us, and he radiated a feeling of warm welcome. I couldn't put my finger on how I could describe the exact feeling, I just somehow knew what he was projecting. Edward wandered over after greeting his parents, and stood behind me with his arms around my waist. He had a knack for making me feel treasured.
“You had better not run this one off, you know I will never find another,” he spoke over my head.
Jasper grinned at him. “You say that as though you weren't a card carrying virgin before Bella.”
“Hey, I was too. There's nothing wrong with that,” I protested.
He put his hands up in a placating gesture. “Just pulling his leg, as it were.”
“Bella, dear, your family is due for dinner in a few hours. Are you hungry now? I can make you a sandwich or a snack,” Esme offered.
I looked over at her soft caramel waves and kind eyes. “I am a little hungry, but I can make something if you'll show me to the kitchen.”
She looped her icy arm through mine and led me back through the doors. “Nonsense,” she said. “It’ll be fun to use the appliances.”
“Um, I don't think I need anything to be cooked. Just an apple or a ham sandwich—something simple.”
She gave a rather large sigh. “Oh, well. There's still dinner, which I should probably go ahead and start.”
“Okay.” I stopped at the threshold to the kitchen and rubbed my cold palms together. The room wasn't what I was expecting. I assumed they'd have a massive professional kitchen with top of the line appliances. Instead, it was a warm and cozy space, like a family actually spent time there eating and talking, gathered around the long table or the kitchen island. It was dark wood and stainless steel with more of the huge, uncovered windows.
Edward and Alice followed us and took seats at the island. Esme showed me the food she'd purchased for me, and I settled on an apple and some cheese. I sat on the available barstool next to the siblings, who looked like they were locked in a silent debate.
“What's going on?” I demanded.
“Your family should arrive in an hour and a half,” Alice answered.
“Should?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Well, Alice cannot see your family, or the tribe, in the future,” Edward informed me.
“But I can see you, sort of like we're both underwater. So I see you greeting someone in an hour and a half,” she finished in her soft voice.
“Okay. Do you know who's coming?”
Edward picked up my hand and held it on top of my thigh. “Sue, Harry, Seth, Leah, and Jacob. They have all agreed to be here, so unless one of them changes their mind, that is who we are expecting for dinner.”
“I'm sure Leah didn't mean it. She still blames me in part for Sam.”
“Leah is coming more because Jake is going to be here and less because of your homecoming. Let us just say she is not an avid fan of vampires.”
“Great, so she hates me and you.”
“Not hates,” Alice interjected. “She envies you being with your mate. She's angry that Sam isn't her mate, and confused about imprinting.”
“Alice, would you like to tell Bella what information we've found?” Esme asked from the stove. She was whisking in a pot, a cookbook open next to her.
“Wait, you found something?” I looked around at each of them, holding my breath.
“Yes, just the other day we stumbled upon some information. We hadn't even told Edward yet." Esme adjusted the burner under her pot. “Would you like to hear it now, or when your family arrives?”
I swallowed, gripping Edward's hand tighter. My snack was forgotten. “Now, please,” I whispered.
“Your father is named Charles, and your mother is named Renée. She comes from a long line of therianthropes.”
There was silence for several of my heartbeats. “I'm sorry, what is that?”
Esme stopped her movements and looked at me. “Shapeshifters not related to the tribe.”
I tore my gaze from her sweet expression to meet Edward's eyes. “I… I don't know what to say.”
Edward smiled. “We can locate your parents with the information my family has found.”
“How do you… “ I stopped when he tapped his temple. Of course; he could read her mind. “Okay, then how do you know there's anyone to be located?”
Esme set down her whisk and came closer, pressing her hands to the counter across from me. “Because we got our information through our network of friends, who informed us that your parents have been on the run since you were four.”
My head swam. My birth parents were both alive. Tears pricked my eyes, and when Edward pulled me into his embrace, I burrowed in and inhaled his soothing scent. “Who would they have to run from?” I asked, turning my face from Edward's chest to look at Esme again.
“There are those that would seek to possess any individual with a special ability, a group that consider themselves the ruling power of the supernatural.”
I didn't understand anything she was saying, and she sounded incredibly bitter. “Who? Who has forced my parents to abandon me all these years?”
It was Edward that answered, his tone of voice derisive.
“The Volturi.”
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