Bella's POV:
One month and seven days. That's the amount of time I have left as a human. It's been three months and three weeks since I decided that I want Victoria to change me. Time is flying by though. She comes over every day now and we talk and hang out. Victoria asks me a lot about myself as if she is studying me. Getting her to open up about herself is impossible. I sometimes find myself wishing I could read minds. I want to know more about her before I trust her with my life... or death. She avoids a lot of my questions as if she is trying to spare me gruesome details. I know that she had immoral tendencies, but I truly believe she is capable of change.
Victoria texted me today letting me know she has a surprise for me. I hate surprises. I find comfort in knowing Alice will be joining us. She still doesn't trust Victoria yet and never leaves me alone with her. Always hovering close by waiting for an attack. I can't say I blame her after she has that vision of Victoria hurting me. It makes me wonder though if that is why Victoria won't open up to me. Maybe she doesn't feel comfortable with Alice knowing all of her history.
"Are you sure about this?" Alice asks.
"Yes. If I'm going to trust Victoria to change me then I have to get to know her more. I can only do that by spending time with her. Alice, you have to loosen up a bit. Cut her some slack." I plead.
"I need to loosen up?! You need to... to... tighten up! Don't forget that she murdered Waylon, your father's friend! You have no idea what she is capable of." Alice said angrily, crossing her arms across her chest.
"I know... I will never forget that. She has apologized for that profusely though. She didn't know who Waylon was. He was out in the middle of nowhere, drunk. I'm mot excusing her actions, but we can't hold it against her forever." I shake my head, trying to forget about it.
"You are way too trusting. I don't know why you jump from one dangerous situation to the next. I wish you would just let me fill syringes with my venom and just change you myself." Alice says, a little less angry now. She did have a point. I jumped off a cliff just to hallucinate about Edward, it was the most dangerous thing I could think to do. That was the last time I saw him. I feel like I have finally let him go though. I think about him less now. I'm no longer wanting to change for him. I want to do this for me.
"Alice, no. I will not risk your relationship with your family. They would never forgive you. Edward would never speak to you again." I say, rubbing her arm in comfort.
"I just wish we could find a different way. But if this is really what you want, I will support you. I'm going to be here to protect you though, every step of the way." Alice lightly smiles, pulling me into a hug.
"Thank you, but what about Jasper? You haven't been to see him yet and it's been over three months." I say, feeling sad for keeping her away from her family.
"About that... Jasper decided he is going to come here. He'll be staying at our old place until you've been changed." Alice says slyly.
"You told him?! He didn't tell anyone else, did he? I don't want anyone trying to stop this." I ask anxiously.
"No, we discussed it. He thinks it's only fair that you make your own choices. He was changed against his will. He's happy that you want to be happy and that you're taking steps in the direction to make that happen." Alice says with a soft smile.
A car horn blares outside. We walk to the window and see Victoria standing outside her car, smiling up at my window. We make our way downstairs and outside to meet her.
"Hey, you got a new car? You didn't steal it, did you?" I joke, nervously.
"Ha... No, I bought it. I've gone legit. You have me living by society's standards." Victoria says playfully, as she opens both front and back passenger doors.
"Hmm, we'll see about that." Alice says, snubbing Victoria.
We get in the car, and I buckle up.
"So where are we going? I really hate surprises." I say to Victoria.
"Don't worry. We're not going far. Alice thinks you're going to love it." Victoria says, smirking into the rearview mirror at Alice.
"Wait, you knew?!" I turn in my seat to ask Alice, annoyance on my face.
"Please, you really think I'd allow her to take you anywhere that I wouldn't approve of first?" Alice scoffs.
I shake my head and turn back into my seat. Of course, Alice would be in on it. That means her and Victoria have stayed in touch. I wonder what else they have discussed. I focus on the drive; it was very short lived though. We only drove a few blocks. Victoria pulled the car onto a short dirt driveway in a wooded area. She stopped the car in front of this beautiful two story, green, riverfront cabin.
"What are we doing here?" I ask, stepping out of the car.
"This is our new house." Victoria says, waving to the cabin.
"Our house?" I ask completely confused.
"Victoria thought you would like a place to stay during your transition that's close to home. After all, you're not actually going to Alaska. This is a nice, wooded area so you likely won't be seen out hunting." Alice explains, smiling widely.
"I figured you might want to stay close to Charlie." Victoria says.
"I... I don't know what to say." I stare at both of them in awe, tears in my eyes.
"Let's go in!" Victoria says with a happy little jump.
I follow her up to the wrap around porch. It had a beautiful old rocking chair facing to the left of the property. The right end of the porch leads into the house. The first thing you see upon walking is an old green grand piano. The living room is open with gorgeous wooden floors. Off to the right is the entry way to the kitchen. It's wide open and spacious with tons of counter space. Victoria leads me upstairs, there is three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
"You can choose any room that you like. They're all furnished. We want you to be as comfortable as possible here. Whatever makes your transition easiest." Victoria says.
"We?" I ask, once again confused.
"I may have uh... fibbed before. Jasper and I will be staying here with you and Victoria until you've transitioned!" Alice exclaims excitedly.
"So, I'm going to be living in a house full of vampires... yay." I say unenthusiastically.
"What's wrong? I thought you would like this. I can change whatever you need, just tell me." Victoria says sounding disappointed and worried.
"No! Everything is perfect, I just feel like this is all suddenly moving too fast." I begin to tear up.
"Bella, you can take as much time as you need. We don't have to do this right away. The Volturi seem content that you're going to be changed regardless. It doesn't have to be in August." Alice says with concern.
"No, I've chosen my life. I want to start living it. It just all feels real now and a part of me honestly believed this was never going to happen. Time feels like it's moving fast, and it is. But I am still going through with this." I say confidently.
"Okay, great. When do you want to move in?" Victoria says with a giggle.
"Next week. It will be more realistic for Charlie to believe that I'm moving to Alaska and have found a place to get settled into before starting school." I say.
"That's smart. We should Probably get back to the house and let Charlie know. We need to get you packed up. Do you know which room you'll want to stay in yet?" Alice asks.
I point to the room at the back of the house. It has pine green carpet, a full-sized bed and a bathroom. The best part is, it has a beautiful view of the woods and just between the trees in the distance you can see the river.
"Pay up!" Alice says, holding her hand out to Victoria.
"I should've known not to make a bet with a fortune teller." Victoria scoffs. We all break out into a laugh.
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Victoria's POV:
I'm learning a lot about Bella. For instance, she is incredibly stubborn. She has two friends with super strength and speed but insists on packing everything herself. I'll be happy when she is one of us, Bella moves like a slow snail. I sit cross-legged on her bed, watching as she wraps each item individually and carefully packing it away into assigned boxes. In one day, she will be fully moved into our new house. I've repeatedly made sure she still wants to go through with the change. My original plan to turn her just to get to Edward has faded. I've grown to, care for her. I suppose that's what happens when you spend four months with a person. I've spent so much time sitting next to Bella talking all every night, that her scent no longer bothers me. The loneliness bothers me though when she sleeps. Bella is special to me. She has a very private sense about her, but she has opened and shared her life with me. One day I will return that favor when I'm sure she won't run to Edward the moment I change her.
Alice and I have attempted hunting animals together, but she still doesn't trust me. I can't say I blame her. I know I'll spend eternity trying to gain her trust, but she means everything to Bella so I'm going to do whatever it takes. Regardless of Alice's suspicions, I enjoy spending time with her as well. I've told her more about her life than she ever knew. We've also been doing more research together to find out more about her human life, but that information is scarce. Whoever put Alice in that asylum made sure that information about her stays hidden. We have eternity to figure it out though.
I'm ripped away from my thoughts with a knock on the door. It's Charlie. I no longer have to jump out of the window and hide, Bella introduced me as her new roommate. She told him we'd be sharing a house in Alaska with Alice and that we would all be attending school together. Bella also told Charlie that I was Alice's cousin. Apparently, we share the same complexion. Pretending to be closer to Alice than I actually am, has been difficult. Not as difficult as feeding on animals though. I'm never fully satisfied but I also don't hate it as much as I thought I would. That being said, having yellow eyes feels... weird. Every time I see my own reflection, I feel wrong. I have spent the past four centuries with red eyes...
"Wow, you're almost finished packing. Are you sure I you don't need furniture in Alaska?" Charlie asked Bella, almost gagging on the word "Alaska".
"I told you. Alice and her family own the place, so it's fully furnished. You don't have to worry, I'll be okay." Bella says trying to comfort her father.
"I'm your dad, it's my job worry." He says, folding his arms across his chest.
"I should be more worried about you. How will you survive without me?" Bella says while chuckling.
"Hey now, I've been fine all these years. I'll manage." Charlie says with a smile.
"I know dad." Bella says, leaning into Charlie.
'Alright, well do you need a hand with these boxes?" He asks, picking one up that's taped shut. He stumbles for a moment, and I hop up to help but quickly sit back down when Bella shoots me a disapproving look. She has been very adamant that I don't show off my strength around Charlie, for obvious reasons. Being around humans is difficult, asking me not to move fast or move heavy objects is like telling a human not to breathe. It's just instinctual now.
"Yeah, just put that downstairs in the kitchen." Bella instructs. We've been stacking boxes in the kitchen until moving day, which is tomorrow.
"Let me give you a hand." I offer, standing up and holding the door open. Bella shoots me another look and I roll my eyes at her.
"Thanks Vic, you're a peach." Charlie says as he staggers out of the door with the heavy box.
"Vic?" Bella asks with one eyebrow raised.
"Your father likes me. What can I say, I'm lovable." I wink at her, picking up a box to take down as well.
"You are." Bella says, her voice sounding odd. I turn to look at her and her face is beat red. I hear her heartbeat quicken. She quickly turns away, shoving a bunch of stuff into a box. She is obviously flustered. I smile at the back of her head and then walk out the door, deliberately walking loud so that she knows that she's alone and can catch her breath. I get to the bottom of the stairs before I finally hear her breathe. "Why did I say that out loud?" Bella whispers to herself.
Bella likes me... I can't say that I don't feel the same. She has spent every waking moment with me for months. I feel things for her that I felt for James. My feelings for her may be even stronger than they were for him. I don't understand how a human can make me feel this way. Maybe knowing that she doesn't want to be human helps with those feelings. That being said, even if she changed her mind, I'd stay by her side.
I set down the box I'm carrying next to the one Charlie just set down. He is at the sink getting a glass of water. He turns around gulping down his water. I turn around to head back upstairs, but he stops me in my tracks saying "That was quite a heavy box. I was waiting to bring that down with the moving dolly."
"What can I say, I lift weights." I giggle nervously.
"You're tiny though. I tried lifting that box earlier but struggled with it. It has all of Bella's books in it." He says, turning around to dump out his water. I took that moment to quickly pull a bunch of the books from the box and run them upstairs. I quietly place them on the bed while Bella has her back turned. I grab a stack of posters that she has on the bed and run back downstairs and shove them into the box before Charlie turns back around to face me. I was gone for a second.
"Oh, Bella decided to put some other stuff in here instead. She didn't want you to have to drag anything heavy down the stairs." I say without missing a beat. Charlie walked over and opened the box to see if I was lying.
"Oh, well that was nice of her. She is always going out of her way to make my life easier." He says with a smile. I nod in agreement, smiling back and then turning on my heels to head back up to Bella's room. I'm about halfway up the stairs when I hear him grunting as he lifts the box. I guess I didn't take enough books out.
I walk into Bella's room and see her standing at her bed, arms across her chest, staring at me in disbelief. "Vi, what did you do?" She asks suspiciously.
"Well... your father may have questioned my strength about the box full of books. I took some out when he wasn't looking and brought them back up here." I say waving towards the books on the bed.
"I told you not to help, he is the chief of police. It's his job to notice things out of the ordinary." She says disapprovingly.
"Oh, don't worry. He doesn't actually suspect anything." I try to say convincingly.
"You better hope he doesn't. If he thinks something is off, he'll never let me leave." Bella says, turning to pack away the books into a new box. Her words stung. I'd steal her away if she couldn't actually leave. I know she is joking but the thought of her not being at my side breaks my cold dead heart. I would've turned the world into chaos and anarchy if she hadn't been by my side these last few months, showing me that I don't have to be a vengeful person.
"Bella, are you having second thoughts about all of this?" I ask hesitantly.
"Well, it's not like those thoughts haven't crossed my mind. I'll be leaving everyone I love behind. I'll be around long after they're dead and gone and that is hard for me to accept. However, no parent wants to see their child die before them. If I stay human, that is bound to happen." Bella says sadly.
I decide that it's finally time to open up a bit about myself so that she won't change her mind.
"I understand that. I've watched every member of my family die. My mother was a scullery maid, she died of typhoid fever when she was thirty-five. My father died of tuberculosis. My sister Anne and I took up jobs as scullery maids after that. Anne turned before I did and changed me when I was eighteen. The Volturi wiped out our coven shortly after that, killing her. I managed to escape. It's a hard to have to experience that, but if you're changing for the right reasons then that's all that matters in the end. You'll get to watch your father have a full life. Who knows, maybe you'll have the chance to change him yourself if he ever wanted that." Finally opening up to Bella felt, nice.
Bella sat down next to me as I spoke, her face soft with concern. She took in every word I said, analyzing my emotions as I spoke. When I finished speaking, she put her hand on my back, rubbing in a circular motion. "Vi, I'm so sorry. I wouldn't wish that heart break on my worst enemy."
"I was your worst enemy. So that makes me feel a little better. I don't wish that pain on you and will not convince you to go through with this unless you're absolutely certain that this is what you want." I say. The warmth of Bella's hand on my back felt nice.
"I am certain that this is what I want. And if you think I'd be allowed to change Charlie in the future then it makes me want to do this even more. Knowing that he could live forever with me is comforting. I'm not just doing this for my parents though. Since making the decision to change, I've let go of all of my pain. I no longer feel heartbroken. I'll admit that at first, I only wanted to change to get back to Edward. But I don't think about him anymore. The love that I once felt for him is just a sad memory now. I'm over it. I feel content with my decision, and I have you to thank for that." Bella says, leaning in to wrap her other arm around me. I freeze for a moment. It's not her scent that scares me, but the electricity I feel between us. Her heat dances along my skin, wrapping me in warmth. Her strawberry scented hair tickles my face, and her pulse quickens. I give in, leaning into her and lightly wrapping my arms around her.
The warmth between us was like sitting on the sun. I know my cold hard skin won't feel the same for her, but I also know she is used to hugging vampires and that she isn't bothered by it. I pull her in a little harder, feeling as though I need to protect her until the end of time. Bella leans her head back so that her face is an inch from mine. I look into her soft brown eyes, and they truly do look content. Her heartbeat is speeding, she's nervous. Bella stares at me with an intensity that I have never seen before and before I can ask what is wrong her mouth is pressed against mine. I completely freeze in shock. Her lips are soft and warm. They lock onto mine like a puzzle piece, as if they were made to fit mine perfectly. I stay frozen, afraid that if I kiss her back, I'll hurt her. Bella leaned back and looked at me confused for a moment. I didn't dare to move out of fear.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me! I thought you..." I interrupted Bella before she could finish speaking. I pull her in gently and press my lips to hers a little harder than necessary. Kissing her with passion so fierce that it could crush her. She kisses me back and we sit there for a few moments, our lips locked into place. I could hear the electricity in the air around us. Bella's heart is beating against my chest and for a moment, it felt like mine. For a moment, I feel as though I'm alive again.
Bella leans back and gulps in air. I stare at her for a moment and burst into laughter. She had been holding her breath.
"It's not funny, I could've died." Bella jokes, laughing along with me.
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT!" We hear and both turn our heads to see Alice standing in the doorway. Her eyes intense with fiery anger that could burn this room to the ground.
"Alice! A little privacy would be nice!" Bella exclaims. I break my hold on Bella and move to the other side of the bed, waiting for what's to come next.
"Had I not arrived when I did, Victoria could've lost control and squashed you like a bug!" Alice, says, whisper shouting to not disturb Charlie.
"Wait, that's what you are worried about? I thought maybe you disapproved." Bella says.
"Alice I was in control. I was never tempted to harm her in the slightest." I say reassuringly.
"I already knew this was coming but you have more pressing things to we be worried about Bella. A vampire who has spent four hundred years feeding on humans will have a much harder time controlling themselves." Alice says, pointing at me.
"You knew this was coming?!" Bella and I both ask in unison.
Alice pursed her lips "I may have had a vision of it."
Bella shakes her head "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted your moment to be organic. I didn't want to push either of you into this just in case you changed your minds about the feelings you have for each other. Still, it would be a lot safer to be together after you have changed, Bella. Also, Charlie may or may not have walked past and saw the two of you kissing." Alice says sheepishly. "Don't worry, he approves."
Bella looks at me, blushing. "How did you not hear him?"
"I was so into the moment that nothing else in this world existed." I'd be blushing if it were possible. The world ceased to exist around us in that moment. The only thing I could hear was Bella's heartbeat.
"I should probably go talk to him. Can you guys take the rest of the boxes down?" Bella asks while getting up and leaving the room.
Alice saunters over and sits next to me. "You better not hurt her."
"You've seen her future Alice. You already know that I won't." I say, bumping shoulders with her.
"I know but that can change so I worry." Alice says. "That being said, she has turned around these last six months. I think you're going to be good for her." Alice bumped my shoulder with hers and then we sat quietly listening to Bella and Charlie's conversation.
"You know there is a door on your room, right?" Charlie jokes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that to happen." Bella says, sounding embarrassed.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. You seem happy." Charlie says lovingly.
"I am, dad." I can hear the smile in Bella's voice.
"Well, hey at least I don't have to worry about you disappearing and showing back up here with a baby." Charlie jokes.
"Very funny."
"Seriously though Bella, I'm happy for you. It doesn't matter who are with as long as they make you happy and treat you right. I love you, Bells." Charlie says.
We hear what sounds like fabric rubbing together, they're hugging.
"Thanks dad, I love you too. Always."
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Bella's POV:
I stand in Charlie's embrace, absorbing every detail of this moment. I won't see him again for a while and I may never get to hug him again. I hope Victoria is right and that I could possibly change him if he would be open to that in the future. We stand in an embrace for a few more moments and then separate. A part of my heart breaking.
"This will always be your home Bells." Charlie says and kisses my forehead. I nod and smile with tears in my eyes.
"Alright, best to finish packing and get a good night's sleep. You have a long drive tomorrow." Charlie says and pats me on the back.
I make my way upstairs to my room. When I walk in the room, I see Alice and Victoria packing things away into boxes. They're moving at an inhuman like speed as if they hadn't been up here packing the whole time that I was talking to Charlie.
"Were you guys listening the whole time?"
They both burst out into a giggle.
"Sorry Bella. You know it's impossible for us to not hear." Alice says with an apologetic look on her face.
"I suppose privacy will be something I'll have to give up soon." I say, kind of bummed.
"Not at all. If you ever need space, you just tell us, and we'll make ourselves scarce." Victoria says.
"I couldn't kick you out of your own house." I say, feeling bad.
"It's your house too, Bell." Victoria says.
"Thanks guys." I say and they both come over and hug me.
"Alright. We are going to take the rest of these boxes down and let you get some sleep. Everything is packed and ready to go. Alice says, picking up a box.
After Alice leaves the room, Victoria takes me by the hand and says "I'd offer to stay with you tonight, but this is the last night you will have in this room. This is the last night that you will have with your father for a while. Maybe you should see if he wants to watch a movie or something. Spend some time with him while you can."
I begin to cry, and Victoria pulls me into a gentle hug. Her skin is cold, but it feels so nice and comforting. I stand there locked into her embrace for a few more minutes. I feel like if I let her go she'll disappear.
"That's a good idea, I'll do that." I muffle into her shoulder.
"Have a good night. Alice and I will be here in the morning to help you load up the truck." Victoria pulls me into the hug a bit tighter. After a moment she let's go and kisses my cheek. Then she grabs the last box and walks out the door. I feel myself missing her already. I have eternity with her though. I have tonight with Charlie.
I make my way downstairs and see Charlie sprawled out on the couch, watching a game. I nudge his leg and his sits up, clearing a spot for me to sit.
"I thought you were going to sleep." He says, confused.
"I want to spend some time with you tonight since I'll be gone for a while." I hold back my tears.
"Alright, you want to watch a movie?" He asks.
"Sure, that sounds nice."
Charlie flips through the channels and stops on a random action movie that just came on. We sat in silence for a while but at some point, started talking. We talked about a lot. Charlie told me all about his relationship with Renee. He said they were happy together until I was born. Not that my birth broke up their marriage, but Renee suffered from postpartum depression and being in such a boring gloomy place made it worse. Charlie would've done anything to make their marriage work, but she didn't want it. It made me feel sorry for him, and sorry that I wasn't raised with a father. He has been alone all these years except for the two weeks I'd spend here every year. Charlie has friends but that isn't enough.
"So how was lunch at Billy Black's house?" I ask. He went over there yesterday at noon.
"It was nice. Jacob wasn't around though if that's what you're wondering about." Charlie hinted.
"Yeah, it would've been nice to say goodbye to him, but he has been distant."
"Well, Billy said Jake is doing good. He has a group of friends that keep him out of trouble. I'm sure he knows that you wish him the best."
"Yeah..." I say with uncertainty.
"Sue was there. Every time I go over there she's around. She helps him around the house I suppose. You know, we got to talking and I'm taking her out to dinner in a few days." Charlie says, blushing a bit.
"What, no way! Why didn't you tell me?" I shove his leg playfully.
"Well now, it doesn't mean anything. Just two friends going out for some food." He chuckles.
"Whatever! Your red cheeks say otherwise." I say laughing. He bursts out laughing and throws the couch pillow at me.
"I'm so happy for you dad. It makes me feel better knowing I'm not leaving you here all alone." I say more seriously.
"Thank you Bells." He responds.
We sit there for a while longer, talking and joking. After the movie is over it's close to midnight. Charlie fell asleep in the last twenty minutes of the movie, and I just watched him sleep. He seems content. He seems happy and that truly makes me happy. I grab the blanket from the back of the couch and cover him up. Then I make my way upstairs and climb into bed. I lay awake deep in thought.
My mind keeps falling back to Victoria. I kissed her today and I'm moving in with her tomorrow. Things are moving so fast, but I'm not upset about it. It felt like Edward just dragged me along. Like he just wanted to see how it felt to be with a human and he didn't like it. But it's different with Victoria. I feel happy when I'm around her. I haven't even thought of Edward today until now. I feel things for her Victoria that I never felt for him. I thought I knew what love was, being with him but he hurt me far more than she ever could.
I found myself tracing my lips, remembering Victoria's kiss. Her lips were cold but smooth. She smelled sweet like cinnamon and cedar. I was terrified that I worked myself up enough to make the first move and she froze up. I felt like my heart sank into my stomach. I didn't think about how it might affect her though. Victoria could've easily taken my life if she really wanted to, but she didn't. She kissed me back. I've wanted to share my feelings with her for two months now. She delicately pieced my heart back together and has changed in every way possible. The crazy thing is, I never expected that of her. I was willing to accept her help to change me, but she has done so much more out of the actual kindness of her heart. I can tell she truly cares for me. I drift off to sleep with that thought in mind and have happy dreams of our life together.
"Goodmorning sunshine." I wake up to Alice standing over me, a cup of coffee in her hands.
"Where's Vi?" I ask.
"Well, it's good to see you to. Thanks for the coffee, Alice." Alice says mockingly, handing me the coffee.
"Thank you. I'm sorry." I say sheepishly.
"I'm just giving you a hard time. Victoria is downstairs loading up the truck. We thought we'd let you sleep in for a bit. Charlie said you guys were up late." Alice says pulling open the shades. It's a gloomy day, as usual. "I'll let you get dressed."
Alice leaves the room and I crawl out of bed. I throw on the clothes that I picked out the day before and head to the bathroom to wash my face. I head outside when I'm done to see everyone piling stuff into my truck.
"Are you sure you want to drive this thing two thousand miles, Bells? I'm not sure it'll make it." Charlie scratches his head, staring at my truck.
"We've been over this. I had the work done to make sure it's in perfect condition to drive. It'll be fine." I grumble.
"Alright, well you'll call me if anything goes wrong, right?" He asks.
"Of course."
"Well, alright. Y'all better get on the road. It's nearly a two-day drive. I've strapped everything down so nothing will get lost on the way over there. Just make sure you call me the second you get there." Charlie instructs.
"I will. I'm going to miss you dad." I pull Charlie in for a hug.
"I'm going to miss you too, sweetheart." He hugs me back as hard as he can.
I climb into the driver seat of my truck and Alice and Victoria squeeze in beside me. After Alice confirms that I have everything with me, I wave to Charlie, and we take off. A tear rolls down my cheek as I see him disappear through the rearview mirror.
Luckily the drive isn't actually two days, rather a few blocks. I pull the truck into the driveway stopping right in front of the green cabin. My heart skips a few beats out of excitement. We hop out and before I can even lay a finger on the tailgate, it's empty.
"Really guys?" I shout up at one of the windows of the cabin.
"Well sorry, ma'am. Just thought we'd give you a hand." A male voice says from behind me. I quickly spin around and gasp.
"Jasper! I didn't know you were here already!" I run up to him and give him a hug. He takes a step back, gently pushing me away.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot." I stammer.
"That's alright, it's still just a little difficult to be around human blood. It's great to see you too though." Jasper smiles.
"I missed you." I say.
"We've all missed you. Carlisle and Esme send their regards." Jasper says.
"Wait, they know?" I ask, confused.
"I filled them in last week when I went back to help Jasper pack. Don't worry, there will be no complications." Alice says, walking up to us.
"Okay, well tell them I say thank you." I say happily.
"Let's go inside! Your room is all set up!" Alice jumps up and down excitedly.
"Of course it is. I bet you unpacked everything too, didn't you?" I say looking at Alice with a disapproved look.
Alice giggles and jogs into the cabin with Jasper in tow. I sheepishly follow along. I take each step carefully. I'd have to manage myself better as to not repeat the birthday incident with Jasper around. I make my way into the Cabin and all three vampires are waiting in the living room underneath a giant banner that read "WELCOME HOME". Alice blew a party paper horn. I just stare at her in disbelief.
"Hey, you two were supposed to blow your horns as well!" Alice chides my new roommates.
Victoria rolled her eyes and makes her way over to me, wrapping me up in a cool yet comforting hug.
"Welcome home, Bella." She whispers into my ear lovingly. I feel my face turning beat red.
"Thank you. Hey, where did Alice and Jasper go?" I ask, looking at an empty spot where they had just been standing.
"I hear them giggling in the other room, they think we need privacy." Victoria says smirking.
I pull Victoria into another hug. She hugs me back tightly.
"Let's go upstairs, I want to show you your room." Victoria leads me to the stairs, holding my hand.
We go up to my room and she covers my eyes.
"Is that really necessary?" I ask, trying to peak.
"Oh hush, you'll love it." Victoria giggles.
I hear the door open, and Victoria removes her hand from my eyes. Looking in, I can already see that they set up my room exactly how it was at Charlie's. The layout is similar, and they even painted the walls my favorite color of green. I feel like I'm home.
"Wow, you guys did all this for me?" I ask, shocked.
"I did it. I thought this would make you feel as comfortable as possible here. I wanted you to feel like you're at home." Victoria says.
"I am. This is my home now, and I love it. Thank you." I say pulling her into a kiss. She doesn't freeze this time and allowed me to guide her. She locked lips with me, and I could feel every bit of passion she had to give. We stayed in an embrace for a few moments, Alice breaking us up yet again by calling us downstairs.
We made our way downstairs and into the kitchen. I could smell bacon before we even turned the corner. My stomach growled and everyone giggled. That was going to take some getting used to.
"We made you breakfast!" Alice says, handing me a plate.
"Thank you." I say taking the plate and wolf the food down hungrily. I didn't realize how hungry I was.
After breakfast I insisted on cleaning up the mess. They all did the rest of the work by setting up this house and unpacking for me. It's the least I could do. After everything was clean Victoria invited me on a hike. That likely would not end up great but I want to spend more time with her, so I agree.
"There is a path through here that leads to the river." Victoria leads the way.
Off to the right of the property line is all forest. Just between two trees tucked away is a manmade path. I follow Victoria up the path line. Luckily for me the path is smooth so no tripping over my own feet. We only walk for about ten minutes before we reach the river. The riverbank is sandy and runs for miles to the east and west. It truly is beautiful. We walk along the riverbank for what feels like hours. Victoria tells me more about her life. She has been through so much pain and heartache. Every time she thinks that she'll finally get her happy ever after, something horrible happens. I can now see why she had immoral tendencies. Losing the people closest to you repeatedly for all of eternity would be enough to drive anyone crazy. I couldn't empathize in that aspect because I hadn't lost anyone closest to me through death. I showed her sympathy instead.
"I know opening up like this is hard, and I will never expect it of you. I'm always here if you need to talk about it though. I may not be able to offer advice, but I can listen." I take Victoria's hand in mine.
"I want to open up every part of myself to you, Bella. You mean the world to me, and I feel like I can be vulnerable with you. I don't have to hide from you, whereas I've hidden my entire life. This is all new for me, but I feel like I can share myself with you." Victoria says, laying her head on my shoulder as we sit in the sand watching the water ripple with every tiny rain drop. My heart is whole and full of pure happiness. This, this is my happy place.
The three weeks that followed were just like this. We walked along the river multiple times a week. Victoria would stay in my room, and we would talk for hours. She would lay with me at night while I slept, never moving. We enjoyed each other's company. There was one week left of me being human and the anxiety of it was starting to set in. Alice explained how awful the pain would be which I had already kind of known from being bitten by James. I still want to go through with it though.
It's late and everyone is gone, they are all out hunting. I just got off the phone with Charlie and needed some fresh air to think. I decide to go to the river myself. I'd find my happy place and relax for a while. A storm was coming in, but I had time to get there and back. I put on my rain jacket just in case and set off on my hike. It's drizzling out and the sun is beginning to set. Within ten minutes I'm at the riverbank. I turn to the east and start walking along the side of the river, searching for our special spot. I walk for about fifteen minutes when I see it. I plop down in the wet sand and stare at the water, thinking about how my new life will be. I'd be able to sit in this spot without getting tired or needing to leave to use the restroom. Victoria and I would be happy. I hold onto that thought and enjoy the fresh air.
After about five minutes the rain starts to pick up. The storm is hitting early. I pick myself up and start making my way back down the riverbank towards the cabin. After two minutes of walking, I'm soaking wet. The rain is pouring, and the wind kicks up. I quicken my pace to a near sprint, the faster I got home the better. I run for another five minutes. The sun is setting fast, It's almost dark now. There is just enough light that I can see the path to the cabin ahead. I make a beeline for it. A loud cracking sound stops me in my tracks. I look up and see the tree that I'm next to, splintering up the side all the way to the top. The tree was going to fall. I run in the opposite direction away from the cabin path as that was the direction it was leaning toward. I only make it a few feet away when one of the branches falls towards me.
The broken branch snags onto lower hanging branches and swings down toward my face. I have no time to think so I hold my arms up in front of me, shielding my face. The branch slams into me, throwing me backwards into the river. The impact of the branch breaking both of my arms. I scream out in pain and start sucking water in as I fall below the surface of the river. I try to thrash out my arms to swim but fail as excruciating pain shoots through my arms and into my shoulders. I start sinking to the bottom of the river but luckily the area I'm in isn't too deep. My feet touch the bottom and I'm able to hold my mouth up above the surface of the water. Every breath is met with more water from the rain. I start taking steps towards the shore. After getting a few feet closer to the river's edge, the water starts to rise, and I'm pushed off my feet. The rain was making the river rise and move. I fell underwater for a moment but managed to regain my footing. I bound along the riverbed floor until my head was above water again. I couldn't die here. I would not let fate take me, not when I'm so close to living for eternity.
I start pushing myself again, walking along the riverbank floor until I'm finally out of the water. I fall to the sandy ground and look down at my arms. They are crushed. The underside of my arms has bone sticking out of them. Both arms are bleeding profusely. Seeing the blood combined with the pain makes me lightheaded. I hobble towards the path. I get right to the edge of the path and collapse. I lay there out of breath and the rain starts to let up. It's dark now. I was going to bleed out. The thought of that boosted my adrenaline. I rolled onto my knees with all of my strength and started crawling towards home. I crawled for five minutes and then exhaustion took over. I fall backwards and start to lose consciousness. I know I need to stay awake but I'm so tired. So very tired. I could rest for a moment. Blackness fades in, and then nothing.
_________________________________________________________
Victoria's POV:
We decided to hunt close to the Cabin. I didn't want to be away from Bella for too long. We chased a herd of dear through the forest about ten miles away from home. Alice, Jasper, and I run next to each other and then break of, herding the dear into a triangle. I see the one that I want and make a beeline for it. I tackle it to the ground and just as I'm about to bite into it, I hear Jasper say "Alice! What's wrong?"
Alice is standing perfectly still, staring off into the distance. The rain is pouring down but it doesn't faze her. Alice looks as me with pure fear in her eyes "It's Bella, she's in trouble. we have to go right now!"
Before Alice even finishes speaking, I'm on the move. Sprinting at full speed in the direction of the Cabin. Alice and Jasper are at my heels, never falling behind. It will take us approximately six minutes to get to her. Alice speaks as we run, explaining what was going on.
"I saw Bella out at the river. The storm picked up and a tree fell on her. It threw her into the river, but she managed to get out. I saw her crawl up the path, but she fainted. I haven't seen anything more about her future. We have to get to her now!" Alice shouts through the rain.
I pick up speed, I have never run so fast in my existence than I am right now. Bella doesn't get to die on me too. We are about two minutes out when I smell her blood. "Jasper, you have to stay here. If you get close to her, you will kill her!" I shout into the wind. I hear his footsteps fall back; Alice is still on my heels though. We follow Bella's scent across the river and up the riverbank. Within one minute we find her laying on the path, right where Alice saw the end of Bella's future. I scoop her up into my arms and we race to the Cabin.
Once inside I lay Bella down on the kitchen table. I listen for a pulse and it's very faint. Alice grabs towels and wraps them around both of Bella's mangled arms.
"Victoria, you have to do it now, she is bleeding out. If you don't do it now, she will die!" Alice shouts at me.
Without hesitation I lean down and bite Bella's neck, making sure enough of my venom gets into her blood stream. Her blood is sweet and pure in my mouth. A frenzy begins, I want to drain her for every delicious drop. I grab her head, biting deeper. Before I can gulp any of her blood down, I'm struck with a heavy boulder that sends me flying across the room. It's Jasper. I'm back on my feet in a second, running towards Bella. Jasper gets to me first, holding me in place.
"You love her Victoria!" Jasper shouts. I pause for a moment at his words. "You just saved her; the venom is coursing through her veins. If you drink from her, she will die, and you will be alone again."
I go limp in his arms. What have I done? I almost killed her. I love her and I almost killed her. Before I can blame myself anymore, she starts to scream out in pain. I try to move but Jasper's grip tightens.
"LET ME GO TO HER, I'M OKAY!!" I shout at him. He looks to Alice, and she nods her head. He let's go and I'm at Bella's side. Bella screams in agony. I pick her up and run her upstairs. I lay her on top of me in her bed. Allowing my skin to touch to her to provide cooling comfort. I knew it wouldn't help but I didn't know what else to do. Alice and Jasper stood in the doorway watching, desperately hoping for her pain to end. We stayed liked that all night. Bella screamed for hours. Fire was running through her veins, and it was my fault. She would live immortally though. She just had to get through the transition.
In the early hours of the morning, Bella began to settle. Her body loosening up while on top of me. Alice retrieved cold wet cloths and begin wiping the blood from Bella's skin. I didn't want to move but Alice stirring around Bella's blood made me thirsty. I thought it best to leave the room for a little bit until she was done. I lifted Bella gently and laid her on the bed. Then made my way down to the kitchen to sniff something strong. I found garlic in the fridge, ironically enough it curbed my appetite.
"Are you okay?" Jasper says, walking in behind me.
"I did this to her, I almost killed her. I can't stand to see her in this kind of pain." I could cry if it were possible.
"We have all been through that pain. She will be okay Victoria." Jasper says soothingly. My mind began to calm.
"How did you know to come here and stop me?" I asked, sniffing the garlic.
"I didn't. I smelled Bella's blood when you warned me to stay behind. I came here to feed. But I saw you standing over her and I felt your pain." Jasper admits sheepishly.
"You could feel my pain?"
"I have the ability of pathokinesis. I can manipulate the emotions of others when needed but I can also feel everything that they feel. I could feel your pain and it was so strong that it pulled me out of my frenzy. You didn't want to hurt her, and I knew I could help you. We try to defy our nature but sometimes it gets the best of us." He explains himself.
"Well, thank you for stopping me. I would've never forgiven myself if I hurt her. She deserves so much better." I look down at my bloody hands.
"Bella has better, with you. Since I've known her, she has been unhappy. I could always feel her when she was around Edward. She had so much love to give him, and it hurt her that she couldn't. Edward controlled her. Bella has been wanting to change for a while. Edward would never allow it. In reality that was never his decision to make. I'm surprised she didn't seek out another vampire to change her sooner. That being said, in the few weeks that I have been here, seeing the two of you interact has been interesting. I feel the love that you have for each other. Bella is truly happy. You have given her everything that she has ever wanted." Jasper explains in his soothing southern accent.
"Bella has told me a lot about herself but she never told me that. She has described the heartbreak she felt from losing Edward, but I always looked at it as a teenage breakup that she would just, get over. I sometimes forget the effects we have over humans." I stand over the sink, washing her blood from my hands.
"What Edward did was wrong. We all warned him that she would have to be changed if he wanted to stay with her. He felt like he couldn't do that to her though. He left thinking he was protecting her but that just sent her over the edge. Alice kept an eye on Bella's future, and she kept making erratic decisions. Bella got onto a motorcycle with a stranger for what seemed like the thrill of it. Alice said she could see Bella in the vision talking to herself as if she were speaking to Edward. We later found out that she was hallucinating him. She kept putting herself in dangerous situations just to see him. Bella loved Edward with her whole being and would do anything to be with him again. That all stopped when you pulled her out of the water after she jumped off that cliff. You saved her in every way possible and it fixed her." Jasper said. I could feel my anger rising as he spoke. How could anyone allow Bella to go through something so horrible and not offer help?
My anger starts dissipating on its own, a sense of calm settling over me. "This is you manipulating my emotions, isn't it?"
"You have to stay calm for Bella. She needs you now more than ever. Getting angry could send you into another frenzy." Jasper says, staring at me intensely. I nod in agreement.
"Can you feel Bella's emotions now?" I ask curiously.
"She is in a lot of pain. The emotion I feel coming from her right now though is love. I believe her love for you is pushing her through the pain." Jasper smiles.
With that, I peel two garlic cloves and stick one in each nostril. The smell masked everything around me, enough for me to be in the room as Bella again. I make my way back up to Bella's room. Alice is at her bedside, gently rubbing ice on Bella's wrists and ankles.
"There isn't a lot of damage for the venom to fix. I'd estimate that Bella will be fully transitioned by tomorrow night. When you bit deeper into her neck, your mouth-watering venom was injected directly into her carotid artery, making the venom spread faster." Alice says comfortingly.
I crawl into the bed with Bella and lift her head, resting it on my shoulder. I wrap my cold arms around her and hold her tight. She will need all the cold that she can get with what feels like fire running through her veins.
"Thank you, for stopping. I know Jasper helped with that, but I have grown to like you and it would've sucked having to destroy you if you had killed Bella." Alice says, never taking her eyes off of Bella.
"I would've let you." I say.
Before Alice can respond Bella groans in pain. I holder her tighter.
"What is that smell?" Alice says, looking around. Her eyes stop, landing on my nose. "Do you have garlic in your nose?"
"It helps with the smell."
"That is genius." Alice giggles.
Bella's body relaxes and her lips curve up a bit into a smile.
"Can she hear us, is she awake?" I ask in shock.
"She seems conscious, but likely can't respond to us due to the pain. She slept for a few hours; I don't know how though. I think she is hiding the pain from you." Alice says with concern in her eyes.
"Bella, if you can hear me squeeze my fingers." I instruct while taking her hand in mine.
I feel the slightest pressure on my index finger. Before I can say anything else, Bella starts shaking and screams out in pain. She was hiding her pain. She was trying so hard to hide it but moving her broken arm likely intensified the pain.
"I'm sorry, I'm here. You don't have to move again. Just rest." I say while massaging her hair.
I hear steps and look up to see Jasper standing in the doorway. His eyes on Bella as if he is focusing. I feel Bella's body relax again. I glance at Jasper in appreciation and see white glinting out of his nose. Garlic.
The rest of the day drags by. I hold Bella tightly, never moving from her side. Every once in a while, she screams out in pain, thrashing around. I whisper comforting words into her ear to let her know that I'm here and that she will be okay. At one point, Bella threw her mangled and broken arm on top of me. She screams in pain but leaves her arm there as if she is trying to comfort me. I beg her not to move. Bella tries to speak. "I... I'm sorry." She croaks out in pain.
"This is not your fault Bella. You have nothing to be sorry for. We are all here for you. Try to relax your mind, the transition is almost over." I comfort her.
Jasper looks at Bella again and her body relaxes. We lay there for four more hours; the sun is setting. Bella's breathing begins to slow, and her heartbeat starts to fade.
"I think it's time." I say to Alice.
I move from the bed, laying Bella down flat on her back. We all watch in amazement as the bones shift back into Bella's arms and her skin sews itself back together. The color begins to fade from her body and her heartbeat slows more. Like a clock with batteries that are about to die, her heart beats once every ten seconds. Then it stops. Her eyes flick open. Bella looks at me and the color of her eyes sends pure excitement through my body.