Fire's Angel

Time

Time

Another dreadfully long week had passed before I knew it. The tension was still in the air, but I was more in the know than I was before. Alice or Jasper would always tell me if something new came up or if another person went missing. The number was growing quickly, moving from three to eight in the time span of a week. Carlisle was much more tense than he had been before, constantly locking himself in his office during his off hours, doing whatever it is that he does up there. I think I had seen him twice in the past week, and that was just in passing.

I was almost constantly at the Cullen house. Alice refused to leave me alone now that her visions were failing her more often than not. I even slept over there more often than in my own bed, not that I was complaining much. Alice let me sleep in her room, wrapped in her arms every night, much to my pleasure. The only thing I really missed was the privacy of my own home. Nothing was unheard while Alice's siblings were home, which took a lot of getting used to.

On the bright side, everyone seemed to be getting used to the idea of Alice and I as a couple. Jasper and I were getting closer and becoming quick friends. And the fact that he could relax me almost as quickly as Alice could didn't hurt, either. Emmet, of course, didn't really need any coaxing. He was his big bear of a self from the first day. We still hadn't had much time to talk, but when we did, it was always playful banter. He was very easy to be relaxed around. Rosalie, on the other hand, tended to be a bit more stubborn in that aspect. And because she was almost always with Emmet, playful moments often turned awkward quickly. And Edward... well, Edward was Edward. Alice said that he's coming around but it'll take him a bit longer than the other men in the family, similarly enough to his situation with Jasper.

Carlisle and Esme were a different story all together than Alice's siblings. They both accepted Alice and I from the beginning, which was amazing in and of itself. But, I will admit that I wish I could see them around more often. With Carlisle being in his office or at work all the time, I rarely get a chance to say any more than a quick hello. Esme, of course, is incredibly loving and always quickly comes back to say hello if she forgot to, which is very seldom. Everyone in the family seemed to be rushing around, though. Always busy, it seemed.

"I guess I should have known you'd be here." I looked up from my book as Alice and I sat on the couch to see Rosalie standing over us. Her gaze traveled across out position - me lying with my feet in Alice's lap - as her face scrunched up. Alice rolled her eyes at her sister's comment before looking up.

"Must you always be so rude, Rosalie?" Alice's tone was complacent, and I could see the strain in her eyes as she tried to keep it as relaxed as possible. Rosalie scoffed in answer before turning her gaze abruptly on me.

"Believe it or not, I actually wanted to speak with you, Bella," Rosalie said, boredom emanating from her, the only indication that she was tense being the slight twitch in her lip as she fought off a grimace.

I looked at Alice in shock as Rosalie stared back at me, waiting for an answer. Alice's expression mirrored my own to a lesser degree, though it was still quite obvious that she wasn't expecting Rosalie to ask that. I must have been sitting quietly for longer I thought. Rosalie began tapping her finger on her crossed arm impatiently, waiting for me to respond.

I quickly snapped out of my daze and swung my legs off of the side of the couch. Alice watched me carefully, a confused expression still on her face.

"Okay, Rosalie. Would you like to go somewhere-" Rosalie cut me off by turning and heading toward the back door abruptly, leaving me behind with Alice. She left the door open as she exited, expecting me to follow quickly.

"You had better go before she gets angry," Alice whispered out, her expression slowly becoming normal again. She spoke again, louder so that Rosalie could hear her. "You had better not do anything to her, Rose." I heard another scoff from outside, signifying that Rosalie had heard her sister. "Alright, go ahead. I'll be right here, okay?" I nodded in understanding before heading out the door.