I woke to a loud noise. I jumped into a sitting position to find Rosalie standing at the door. She was glaring at me, showing her teeth and growling. I gasped and curled back in fear. Emmet came through the door behind her, grabbing her hands and wrapping them around her torso, like he was putting her in a straight jacket. A moment later, the rest of them appeared.
"Calm down, Rosalie," Carlisle soothed her. She whipped her head around to look at him.
"Calm down?" she asked in disbelief. "I'm going to be stuck with her for the rest of eternity, and you want me to calm down ?!" she wailed. This was about what I figured.
"Yes. Just calm down while we discuss this with her. Anger isn't going to help anything." he tried to convince her. She growled at him, turning to glare at me again.
"Bella?" Carlisle said calmly, sitting down next to me on the bed.
"Yes?" I squeaked.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked. "Have you really thought everything through?"
"Yes. I'm possitive."
He hesitated.
"What about Edward?" he asked me. "Do you think he would be happy about this?"
I was only half expecting this question.
"Does it matter?" I countered. "It's my life, and it has nothing to do with him." I lied lightly. "You don't have to keep me around. It's not like I expect to be part of your family, because obviously you don't want that. The only reason why I'm here is because I need you to do this, and to make sure I don't do anything stupid the first year. Alice already taught me the basic rules on the ride up here, so I know about all that. I've thought everything through, as I'm sure Alice has told you." There were no loopholes in my response. The only way that he could reject me was if he were to say, "too bad." Great arguement.
"I see." he said in his wise voice. "So, what? When exactly are you expecting Alice to do this?" he asked. I tried to word my response delicately.
"As soon as possible. Today." I completely failed with delicate.
"Today?" he asked, not seeming at all suprised. He knew me well.
"Yes," I answered with confidence.
"And you think Alice will be able to do it?" he didn't seem to not believe in her, just wondering if I did.
"Of course," I half-lied. I wasn't sure Alice could do it. But I believed in her, and in any case, it was a risk I had to take.
"If you're going to do it," Rosalie interupted. "Get it over with. Do it right now, and then get her out of my sight." she turnd away from me to look at the wall.
"Carlisle," Esme said urgently, indicating for him to go there. He got up and walked over to her. All I caught of the conversation was Edward's name, once.
"Bella is right," Carlisle told Esme in a voice I could finally hear, after a minute or two long conversation. "It's not his choice anymore. This is Bella's choice to do what she wishes with her life. It's Alice's choice to help her. We have no say." He concluded. I beamed.
"Thank you Carlisle." I said fervently.
Rosalie stormed from the room, and Emmett followed quickly, throw me a thumbs-up before diappearing. I smiled.
"And of course you're always welcome here, dear," Esme added. She came over and squeazed my shoulders. This whole time Jasper and Alice had been standing in a corner of the room, completely silent. Just observing. Alice had Already made up her mind, and Jasper must not care.
"Thank you, Esme." I said to her. "I missed you," I added in a quiet voice.
"Dear, Bella." she said, finally releasing me and leaving the room. Carlisle followed, shutting the door behind him. Alice came to sit down next to me, and Jasper stayed put in the corner.
"You are totally insane, Bella Swan," she told me, but she smiled. I smiled back with real inthusism. I had just won. Finally.
"I know," I informed her. "So can we do it now?" I asked urgently, cutting off whatever she had opened her mouth to say. She gave me a chiding look.
"You can't wait five minutes?" she asked sarcastically.
"So it will happen in five minutes?!" I was very excited, not really thinking it through.
"Bella, calm down. Really think about it. I will do it today, but I want you to enjoy you last moments as a human. Think about it. You will never be human again. Isn't there anything you want to do?" I did calm down a bit when she said this. I thougth for a minute. There was nothing I wanted more than to be immortal with Edward.
"No." I answered with confidence. She sighed.
"what about the pain? Are you looking so forward to that?" she was trying desperately to wake me up a little. I blanched. I rememebered the pain quite well. It was the worst thing I had ever felt, apart from when...Edward had left...
"Of course not." I answered in a small voice. "But it's worth it. And what am I going to do if it doesn't happen now? Play checkers? I've already arranged everything, told my story to Charlie, all the rest of the Cullens know..." my voice faded out toward the end as I realied that all the Cullens didn't know. "So why not right now?" I asked to distract her from my fib.
She looked to Jasper.
"Is she serious?" she asked him.
"Yes." he answered calmly and imediately. I smirked.
"I told you, Alice. I'm serious. I'm ready right now. This very second." I inched closer to her, a not-so-subtile hint.
"Fine than." she said, brushing my hair away from my neck and placing her teeth on my throat. I was terriied, but I didn't move. She sighed and pulled back, disappointed. She was bluffing. I sighed, too.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. He's going to kill me." she took her eyes off the floor to look at me. "There are some things I want to tell you about that. But I can't. I promised. And it's driving me insane. Because maybe if you knew, you wouldn't want this." she paused. "But, knowing you, you probably still would," she half-smiled.
"Exactly. I've always wanted this, Alice. Since...since I first fell in love with him. Since you became my best friend." I thought of Jacob, but disregarded that thought. "Since I started thinking of you as my family, stupid as that was. And even though everything else has changed, that hasn't."
She looked to Jasper. Her look said, "Help" as far as I could read it, but of course he knew how she felt completely. She turned to me. She took a deep breath.
"Okay, Bella," she said. "Are you ready?" she asked for the millionth time.
"Yes." I said slightly, exasperated. How many times had I said this? She scooted closer to me, grabbing the back off my head, and moving her face to my neck. With a slow movement, she bit down.