Scourge // Felix Volturi

Chapter 4: Monsters

The Cullens' house was not a house: it was a modern day mansion that had to have a re-sale value of a few million dollars. It was a glass house; the walls facing out, towards the driveway, were made of reinforced glass and the bones were made of imported wood. It was impressive.

Bella was huffing and puffing behind me. She twiddled with the knee-length hem of her olive green dress and she rolled her bottom lip nervously between her front teeth. "Relax," I chuckled, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. "It's just a birthday party. It's not like you're getting married or anything."

Edward joined Bella's side and took her hand in his. Leaning down, he whispered something in her ear, causing her to smile. Not wanting to interrupt their moment, I headed towards the front door and knocked. Within a nanosecond, the door opened and Esme ushered me inside.

While she escorted me through the house, I couldn't help but look around. Like the house, the interior was expensive: imported furniture; hand carved wooden tables, chairs, and stands; chandeliers of varying sizes and designs; custom oil paintings lined the walls; crystal vases filled with lush roses were placed in almost every corner of every room, and ceramic statues were proudly displayed on podiums made of ebony wood.

I knew doctors made good money, but this house, and everything in it, costed more than what a doctor could make in fifteen years. And Carlisle couldn't have been a doctor for more seven years... possibly nine years.

"We are finishing with the last bit of decorations," Esme explained, opening a heavy wooden door. The living room was lofted and candles lined the room. The dancing flames casted soft shadows on the cream colored walls and the entire Cullen and family stopped what they were doing and looked up. Five pairs of molten gold eyes landed on me. My feet stilled and I tightened my grip on the stair railing. My heart skipped a beat and my lungs seized. Something wasn't right.

Before I could think too much about it, Carlisle smiled. "Welcome, Mallory."

Swallowing thickly, I nodded. "Thanks for having me." Walking down the stairs, I glanced around the room. Large bouquets were scattered about. Some were tall, others short, but nonetheless they were beautiful. "Wow," I smiled, "you guys really went all out, huh?"

A bitter feeling pooled in my chest and I bit my bottom lip. All the birthday parties that I had thrown Bella had been simple: boxed cake, a few helium balloons, and simple party streamers. I had never thrown Bella a grand birthday like this before... and I felt guilty; Bella deserved the best and I wasn't able to give her the best — I could barely give her the bare minimum.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the jealous emotions and thoughts away. Right now, my emotions did not matter. This was Bella's day and I wasn't going to allow my selfish emotions to ruin her day. A honey blonde teen looked at me with wide eyes, and when I glanced up, he gave me a small, knowing smile. Raising a brow, his smile grew larger and he looked away. Strange.

Esme and Carlisle quickly introduced me to their children: Emmett, a mountain of a man with short, curly hair and uneven dimples; Rosalie, a tall, statuesque woman with gold spun hair and regal air, and Jasper, the honey blonde man that had smiled at me not even a minute ago.

Alice walked into the room with a three tier birthday. It was decorated with delicate vertical strips of alternating greens, and the white fondant was pristine and smooth. "You're here!" she beamed, placing the cake down on the table with birthday gifts. "Is Bella wearing the dress that I bought?"

"She is," I chuckled. "It took some convincing, but she's wearing it."

Alice laughed and hurried up the stairs. A few minutes later, Edward and Bella appeared. Bella's eyes widened when she saw the living room and a ghost of a smile pulled at her lips. Coming down the stairs, everyone moved towards her, expect for Rosalie. The sour blonde stayed back and inspected her nails with an air of disdain.