"So," Leigh started, dragging the block of cheese over the grater edge. "You don't sleep? Like, at all?"
"Nope," Carlisle said, smiling as he diced some mushrooms.
Leigh wrinkled her nose. "What a sad life."
"That's the bit that concerns you?" Emmett asked. "The lack of sleep?"
"Yeah," she said. "I love sleep. You guys are missing out."
Emmett snorted, shaking his head.
Leigh grabbed a clove of garlic from the counter, wielding it in his direction.
"Myth," Emmett said, batting it out of her hand.
Carlisle's hand shot out, plucking it out of the air before it fell to the floor.
Leigh pouted. "Disappointing."
"Holy water doesn't do it, either," Emmett added. "Or crucifixes."
"Ugh," she groaned. "So you actually are indestructible?"
He winked at her.
"Not totally," Carlisle cut in. "Fire would destroy us, if we hung around long enough."
Leigh eyed the pasta, but Emmett pointed at her in accusation.
"Don't even think about it."
She shot him a rueful look, but went back to grating the cheese.
Rosalie stood a little away from them, tossing some salad leaves in a crystalline glass bowl. Her face was still thunderous, her shoulders tensed, and she hadn't said a word since they'd first arrived. Leigh didn't know what was going on with her, so she didn't even bother to try and talk to her. She was enjoying her family's company well enough, despite their conversation topic centring around the fact that they were imperishable death-machines.
"Doesn't the sun burn you?" Leigh asked. "I noticed you don't come in to school when the weather's good."
Emmett grumbled something to himself, Carlisle and Esme glancing at him in amusement.
"Not exactly," Carlisle said. "We avoid being seen in the sunlight, but it doesn't harm us."
Leigh frowned. "Why avoid it, then?"
"Well, we, sort of," Carlisle started, shrugging, "sparkle."
The laugh burst from Leigh's lips before she could stop it. She clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling the sound. "Sorry."
"I prefer coruscate," Emmett muttered.
Leigh threw her head back in laughter, shoulders shaking.
"He gets insecure about it," Esme said, tossing some onion into a frying pan and smirking.
"I do not," Emmett protested.
Leigh tried to compose herself, going to wash her hands before she picked up the cheese again.
Rosalie dropped the salad servers, the wood clattering against the glass of the bowl. All eyes in the room swivelled to her.
"Is she even Italian?" she asked, through gritted teeth.
Emmett shrugged. "Her name is Bella."
"I'm sure she'll love it, no matter what," Carlisle said in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Rosalie's eyes were alight with what Leigh could only describe as fury.
She had no idea what had changed in the blonde, but Leigh didn't like this version of Rosalie. Quietly seething and determined to stay that way. It was making her angry.
With unnerving synchronicity, all heads in the room aside from Leigh's snapped in the direction of the doorway.
"Phew, get a whiff of that," Emmett said with a grin.
Leigh frowned, confused, Esme's lips stretching into an excited smile.
"They're here," she said, gently clapping her hands together.
Then she understood.
Slowly, Bella and Edward sidled around the corner and into the kitchen, neither of them looking particularly comfortable. Bella's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Leigh, the two girls exchanging an awkward wave as Esme moved forward to introduce herself to the brunette.
"Bella! We're making Italiano for you," she sang.
Bella tried her best to smile, but Edward started talking before she could say anything.
"Bella, this is Esme, my mother for all intents and purposes," he said.
Emmett waved at Bella, seeming to forget about the large knife in his hand and consequently looking a little more threatening than he most likely intended.
"Buongiorno," Bella said, blushing.
"Molto bene," Esme replied, grinning.
Carlisle stepped forward. "You've both given us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time."
"I hope you're hungry," Esme said.
Bella nodded. "Yeah, absolutely-
"She already ate," Edward cut in, seemingly mortified by his family's attempts to make Bella welcome.
Leigh had never really spoken to Edward, but she didn't particularly like him. He seemed twitchy and neurotic.
"More for me, then," she said, smiling at Esme in attempt to remedy her disappointment.
A clattering crash interrupted the awkwardness, the crystalline salad bowl Rosalie had been holding falling to the floor in lots of jagged pieces amongst leaves of lettuce.
Leigh looked up in shock, finding Rosalie glaring at Bella with a ferocity that she'd never seen in her before. It scared her, a little.
"Perfect," Rosalie snapped, fighting to keep her voice level.
"Yeah, it's just," Bella spluttered, "because I know you guys don't eat, so-
"Of course," Esme said, reassuring her. "It's very considerate of you."
"Just ignore Rosalie," Edward muttered. "I do."
"Yeah," Rosalie said, shaking her head. "Let's just keep pretending like this isn't dangerous for all of us."
Leigh folded her arms across her chest, trying to shove down her growing aggravation. Rosalie was getting on her nerves.
"I would never tell anybody anything," Bella insisted.
"She knows that," Carlisle said, glancing at Rosalie.
"Yeah, well," Emmett said. "The problem is, you two have gone public now, so..."
"Emmett," Esme warned.
"No, she should know," Rosalie said. "The entire family will be implicated if this ends badly."
Bella ducked her head. "Badly, as in, I would become the meal."
For a moment, Leigh forgot to be angry at Rosalie, and started to laugh.
She wasn't sure if she was supposed to laugh or not, as she really had no idea if what Bella had said was as ridiculous as it sounded, but the way Bella had said it was just a bit too funny to ignore. Carlisle pressed his lips together and Esme looked away, trying to maintain their composure, but Emmett guffawed along with Leigh.
"Hi, Bella!" Alice called, hopping down from the window sill and bounding into the room.
Jasper followed after her, but hesitated a little further away, just as he'd done with Leigh.
"I'm Alice," she said as she approached, enclosing Bella in a hug.
"Hi," Bella said, surprised at the sudden physical contact.
"Oh," Alice said as she pulled back. "You do smell good."
Leigh cringed. She suddenly felt very out of place.
Edward's face scrunched up in discomfort. "Alice, what are you-
"It's okay," Alice cut him off. "Bella and I are going to be great friends."
Leigh looked up at the ceiling, feeling the sudden urge to jump out the window.
"Sorry," Carlisle said. "Jasper's our newest vegetarian. It's a little difficult for him."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jasper said, voice strained.
"It's okay, Jasper," Alice said, voice softening a little. "You won't hurt her."
Leigh wanted to hide under the kitchen counter. Edward looked as if he might implode.
"Alright, I'm going to take you on a tour of the rest of the house," he said, leading Bella back out of the kitchen.
"I'll see you soon!" Alice called after them.
Leigh leaned against the counter, letting out a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have been able to handle that much longer.
"Cute," Esme crooned.
"I think that went well," Carlisle said, nodding in satisfaction.
Rosalie shook her head, striding from the room without a word. Leigh watched her go, the frustration rising up again.
"Sorry," Esme said, bobbing her head in the direction Rosalie had stormed off in.
Leigh pressed her lips together, frowning, before moving to follow her.
Her legs carried her across the kitchen and into the corridor, in the opposite direction of the front door and toward a large, wooden deck area. Rosalie was pacing, a little too quickly for Leigh's eyes to properly focus on her, making her seem like a fuzzy smudge of blonde and pale skin.
She marched forward, pushing open the door and stepping out onto the deck. Rosalie ignored her, continuing to pace as Leigh shut the door behind her.
"Why are you being such a dick?"
Leigh hadn't intended to start off so directly, but the words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them, and there was no going back now.
Rosalie recoiled in slight shock, stilling. "Me?"
"Yes, you," Leigh said, folding her arms and delivering her a hard stare. "You literally just threw a tantrum in there, like a five year-old."
"Excuse me?"
"You smashed a bowl and stormed out, Rosalie. That's a tantrum."
"Who are you to come and lecture me?"
"I'm not lecturing you, I'm asking you to explain why you're being such an asshole to Bella."
Rosalie's eyes flashed with fury, and she tilted her head back, taking a deep breath. "You don't get it."
"Explain it to me, then," Leigh snapped.
"People like us shouldn't date humans," Rosalie said, throwing her arms out to the sides. "Simple. It's dangerous, it's reckless, and it's pointless."
"She's already said that she won't say anything-
"What if he kills her, Leigh?" Rosalie shouted. "What then?"
Leigh flinched. "He won't-
"You don't know that!" She shrugged. "None of us do!"
"Okay, I don't," Leigh said, voice gaining volume. "But just because you don't agree with what they're doing doesn't mean you have to act like a child-
"Fuck off, Leigh, you don't have a clue what you're talking about."
"Hey!" Leigh yelled. "I've put up with you being pissy with me so far, when I've done nothing but be nice to you, but I'm not having it anymore!"
"Why do you keep trying, then?" Rosalie screeched. "Honestly, how long does it take you to take a hint?"
Leigh stumbled back a step, feeling as if she'd just been punched in a gut. "If you wanted me to stop, you should have said-
"I want you to stop," she spat. "Okay? Stop trying to be my friend, stop trying to get me to like you, because it's not going to work. Understand?"
Leigh pressed her lips together, biting down on her tongue to stop herself from crying. "I understand."
The two stared at each other.
Slowly, the fire in Rosalie's eyes started to die down, a glimmer of regret flashing across her features as the hurt bloomed in Leigh's.
"Leigh, I-
"Don't worry about it," Leigh said, shrugging. "I won't try anymore. But, you need to accept that it's not your decision what Bella and Edward do, and get over it."
She turned, yanking open the door and stalking back down the corridor. Her eyes were stinging, and she caught her bottom lip with her teeth to stop it from quivering.
She stopped a few paces away from the kitchen, taking a deep, shaky breath before turning the corner.
They were all still there, and they had obviously all heard every word of the argument.
"Um," Leigh said, cursing herself for the wobble in her voice. "I, uh, have to get back. My - my mum will be, uh-
"Okay, honey," Esme interrupted, saving her from further embarrassment.
Leigh shot her a grateful smile but avoided her eyes, grabbing her bag from the kitchen counter before hesitating.
"I, um, didn't drive," she said. "How far's the bus stop?"
"I'll drive you," Emmett said quietly, drawing his keys out of his jean pocket.
She didn't have the energy to protest.