Rae groans when she wakes up, she finds both Jacob and Quil sleeping on either side of her. She had a nightmare about James last night, like she has the past couple months since he was killed by the Cullens and burned.
Raelynn gets out of her bed and grabs her school clothes. She looks back at the sleeping boys and she goes to the bathroom. Billy rolls into Rae's room to wake Quil and Jacob up for school.
Rae gets dressed and she leaves the bathroom. "I'm headed to school."
"What, no more gloves?" Mary asks.
"The Cullens make me feel safe enough not to wear them," Rae days with a smile.
"That's great," Mary smiles. "You go on to school, my love."
"We're having a birthday party for Bella later," Rae says.
"All right," Mary says. "Be careful."
Rae kisses Mary on the cheek and she leaves the house. She goes to her car and she drives to Forks and to the high school. Alice embraces Rae securely.
"How are the nightmares?" Alice asks.
"Jacob and his buddy Quil had to sleep with me," Rae says. "They're stil bad."
"Lynn!" Jessica calls.
"Go," Alice says with a smile. "See your friends."
Rae kisses Alice and she jogs across the lot. Mike fist bumps her and Bella parks her truck near them.
"Wherefore Art thou, Bella?" Mike muses.
Bella turns to see Mike, Eric, Angela, Jessica, and Raelynn approaching her. She's not surprised that Jess decided to bring Rae into her little group of friends.
"You finish the Shakespeare assignment?" Mike asks her.
"He means will you finish his assignment?" Rae says.
"No, I don't..." Mike goes to defend himself but sighs in defeat. "Okay, I do."
"I can help you with it," Bella says. "But first..." she pulls a camera from her bag. "I need a picture. My mom's expecting a scrapbook full of memories."
Angela holds up her own camera. "I take 'em. I don't pose for them."
"Today you do," Bella says.
Rae pulls Angela in between her and Jessica, thankful that Angela's wearing a jacket so Raelynn doesn't have contact with her skin.
"You'll Photoshop my nose if it looks big, right?" Jessica asks.
"Don't worry, I'm in the picture;" Eric muses, "no one will be looking at you guys."
"Funny," Rae muses, Eric winks playfully at her, Alice watches with a smile.
Jessica scoffs at them. Jess wraps an arm around Rae, and Rae wraps one around her. Angela lifts her camera to aim at Bella, pretending to take a picture herself. Mike and Eric pretend ti joust as Elena takes a picture.
"Oh good, guy Cullen's here," mike says dryly.
Rae turns and she sees Edward getting out of his beautiful Volvo.
"Yay," Jessica says in an even drier tone.
Rae bids farewells to her human friends and she jogs over to the Cullens as her friends head away from Edward and Bella. Alice smiles as Rae reaches them.
"You looked so happy," Alice coos.
"They're great," Rae replies. "It took a while for Jessica to come around. And who knew it would take Caleb graduating for her to come around to me?"
Rosalie snorts. "Right?"
Rae laughs as they all head into the school.
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Alice convinced Raelynn to leave school early with her - with Mary's permission - to help her decorate for Bella's party. Edward and Bella are upstairs how, school officially ended an hour ago.
The Cullen family and Raelynn are standing around the first floor. Raelynn and Rosalie are talking fashion and wolves while Alice goes upstairs to get the birthday girl.
Bella soon comes down after Alice in an olive green dress and some cute shoes. Bella looks around at the decorations. She wants nothing but to disappear but Edward lures her the rest of the way down the stairs.
"Sorry about all this," Carlisle claims after hugging Bella. "We tried to rein Alice in."
"Like that's possible," Esme coos and she hugs Bella. "Happy birthday, Bella."
"Thanks," Bella mumbles.
As soon as Bella and Esme back apart, Alice snaps a picture.
"Found it in your bag," Alice says as Bella looks at her. "Mind?'
Emmett moves to where she's standing beside Edward and he judges him. "Dating an older woman. Hot."
Edward looks at Emmett in confusion before elbowing him sharply.
"What?" Emmett asks, his eyebrows pinched in confusion.
Rosalie steps forward. "It's a necklace. Marianna picked it out.
"Thanks," Bella mumbles as Rosalie steps back.
"Show me the love!" Alice chirps and she pushes Bella over to Edward.
Edward kisses the top of Bella's head and Alice takes their picture.
"For your scrapbook," Alice says. "Now open your presents!" She grabs Bella by the wrist and drags her over to the table that holds a beautifully baked cake that Rae made, gifts, and a tall stake of china plates.
"Alice, Rae and I are the only ones who even eats cake here," Bella says. "That thing could feed fifty."
Alice says nothing as she smiles. She grabs a present box from the table and she hands it to Bella. "This one's from Emmett and Raelynn."
Bella shakes the box first, and heard thst it's empty. She looks at the two in confusion.
"Already installed it in your truck," Emmett muses. "Finally a decent sound system for that piece of..."
"Hey," Bella cute him off. "Don't... don't hate the truck... Thank you, Emmett, Raelynn."
"You're welcome!" Rae says with a smile and she curtsies in her fancy pink dress Alice insisted she wear.
"This one's from Carlisle and Esme," alice chirps as she hands Bella a smaller box.
"Only something to brighten up your day," Carlisle says with a smile.
"You've been looking pale lately," Esme adds.
Bella goes to open the present and her finger gets cut on the paper.
"Ouch," Bella hisses as she holds up her bloody finger. "Paper cut."
Everything seems to move in slow motion. Jasper lunges at Bella. Edward throws him back before he dumbly throws Bella onto the table, cutting her up even more than before. It takes Emmett and Carlisle to stop jasper and as soon as Emmett has control over jasper and Marianna helps, Carlisle speeds to Bella's side.
"Get Jasper out of here," Carlisle demands and Emmett drags him out.
"I'm sorry, I... I can't," Alice whispers and she hurried out.
"Alice!" Rae falls as she jogs after her.
Alice pulls Rae into a tight hug and she just hugs her tightly. Alice buries her faceninto Raelynn's neck and she inhaled deeply, calming down at the scent of Raelynn's hypnotizing blood.
"Jas," Alice coos as she then drags Rae over. "Hug Rae. Her blood will calm you down."
Jasper nods and he walks over, he embraces Rae and buried his face into her neck like Alice insists. He inhales deeply and immediately understands what Alice meant. Rae's blood is hypnotizing and relaxing. Emmett watches in amazement, his eyes wide and smile smug.
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"I have a bad feeling," Rae says to Billy.
"I know," Billy says as he looks at his step-daughter. "Do you think Alice will say goodbye before she leaves?"
"I hope she does, and I hope it's face-to-face," Rae admits. "If it's any other way, I wouldn't ever forgive her."
"I understand," he says and his phone rings. "Hold on," he tells her. "Hello?... Let me call and get you permission." Billy hangs up. "Alice wants permission to cross the treaty and talk to you. Let me call Sam."
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Alice said goodbye. She and Rae broke up, because Alice wants Rae to be able to live without her while she's gone. Alice never said where the family was going, but that she probably wasn't coming back.
Rae is snuggling with her mom in the living room, crying. As much as Rae honors Alice for doing this in person and for the reasoning, it still hurts all the same. Caleb comes walking in and and he sits on Rae's other side and he rubs her back as she just cries as she misses Alice.