Chapter 24: Drive
Drive
"Wake up, Bella!" sang a voice like wind-chimes. One I knew and loved.
Only, I didn't want to wake up yet.
"Mmph," I grumbled, burying my face into my pillow.
I felt a cool pair of lips brush against the back of my neck, making me shudder from the sensations it brought.
Get up, sleepy. We have lots to do," Alice whispered, her lips brushing against the bottom lobe of my left ear, making me shudder again. I struggled against myself to try and sleep further, but my resolve dissipated when she slowly pulled the covers off of me.
"Ugh, what? Can't I get some sleep?" I whined, blinking several times so my eyes adjusted better.
Alice was standing in front of the bed, hands on her hips and an amused smile on her face.
"You've already slept too long!" she whined right back, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come on, Bella! Up, up, up!"
I couldn't help giggling at her childish exuberance. She knew how adorable she was when she acted like that and she knew how much of a sucker I was for it. I sighed and sat up, straightening my hair out a bit with my hand.
"What time is it?" I asked while yawning, stretching my limbs outward. I felt really good. Last night had been an amazing night of sleep, that's for damn sure.
Alice gradually stopped her bouncing before plopping down next to me. "It's twelve in the afternoon."
I blinked, wide eyed with surprise. "Holy shit, twelve? How long have I been sleeping?"
"Well, you went to bed yesterday at eight thirty, so...almost sixteen hours?"
My jaw dropped. "Alice, that isn't normal for humans..." I murmured.
She frowned at that and cocked her head to the side. "Hm. Well, you aren't exactly normal yourself, you know. And it's not like you've slept a whole lot in recent months, Bella, remember that. Besides, you slept well, didn't you?"
I frowned, thinking about that for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I did."
She smiled and leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled away. "Bella!" she huffed.
"Morning breath," I grumbled.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella, your breath can never stink to me, nor can any part of you. How many times must I tell you that?" she asked. Before I could respond, she grabbed me and pulled me into her lips for a kiss. When we pulled away, she had a giddy grin on her face, her eyes twinkling in more than just the kiss.
"What?" I asked.
"You talked in your sleep," she giggled.
I blushed. "I...I did? Oh God, I d-didn't say anything embarrassing did I?" I stammered.
"You said you loved me," she replied, her smile widening broadly.
"Oh. Well, yeah, I do. Besides, I told you that last night, remember?"
"I know. But I love hearing it all the same," she said, kissing me again."Now get up! We've got lots to do today. Tomorrow's your first day of school and-"
"Whoa, wait a moment!" I shouted, holding both my hands up. "What do you mean tomorrow is my first day? I thought we'd be starting next week!"
Alice bit her lip and sighed. "I'm sorry. I must've forgotten to mention to you. We usually don't go to school when the sun is out, for obvious reasons. The fact is, Esme called the school and told them that we were adopting a new family member and, well, tomorrow isn't going to be sunny, so..."
