fate unfolding in the palm of your hand °sam uley°

Chapter 4

Itoro thought Bella was being shown their life way too fast. Edward was barely dating her a month before the baseball game, and he invited her along to it. Why couldn't they take things slowly? Eh, it wasn't Itoro's relationship so they shouldn't shove their nose where it didn't belong.

Itoro wasn't particularly into the baseball thing, much preferring football – soccer, Emmett said in her head – or something else rather than baseball. It reminded her of rounders, and that brought up some very murky memories of being on a waterlogged field trying to hit the ball and remembering whether or not to run with the tiny bat.

But there they were, all dressed up in their stupid baseball clothes that'd been made especially for them. Itoro didn't even bother asking how Alice managed to get the full set for eight of them. Esme was going to act as the vampire umpire, and since Itoro was the youngest, Jasper and Emmett played best of three rock paper scissors to see which team would get her. Itoro and Rosalie dutifully covered Alice's mouth and hid her from Jasper so that there was no cheating.

"Damn," Emmett muttered, having lost.

"Always with the paper, man," Itoro said, then knocked shoulders with Jasper. "He just knows, man,"

"You're predictable," Jasper said, a pointed look at Emmett. "Like when we spar, you're giving signals long before you act."

Itoro shook her head and went and grabbed her bat, twisting and twirling it around. Her mind went back to the wolf. This was on their land, so the wolf wouldn't see them, but would he be able to hear the differences in the thunder and their bats hitting the ball? Itoro wondered what the wolf's human form was like.

They heard Emmett's Jeep, and Itoro starting reciting Xhosa sayings in their head while also thinking about the latest soap opera that was holding Britian's daytime TV by the balls. The Jeep finally came into view, and Itoro inhaled the last of the Bella-free air and hoped for the best. Alice would warn them if Itoro's restraint grew thin, and Jasper would be able to feel their bloodlust too.

Itoro looked up at the greying sky. It was almost time. Itoro jumped up and down excitedly. Sure baseball wasn't their thing, but it left them active and able to do something. It was basically rounders but with bigger bats.

Carlisle and Rose tried to get first go and Jasper was messing around with a bat, and occasionally he and Itoro threw each other their bats to mix it up. Esme hugged Bella and greeted her warmly, telling her they needed an umpire.

"She thinks we cheat," Emmett said.

"I know you cheat," Esme shot back. She and Bella came to a stop. "Call them as you see them, Bella."

"OK," Bella said, sounding a little nervous.

Emmett and Edward shot out to the field, backing Alice who was their resident pitcher. Rosalie stood up to the platform as Carlisle, Itoro and Jasper stretched out unnecessarily, getting amped up.

The thunder boomed overhead. "It's time." Alice called, and Itoro grinned. She threw the ball, and it was a blip. Rosalie hit it confidently, and then she was a blur getting past first base. Edward vanished after the ball.

"OK, now I see why you need the thunder," Bella said. "That's gotta be a homerun, right?"

"Edward's very fast," Esme told her.

Itoro nudged her with her bat. "Fastest one out of all of us."

The ball came barrelling towards Esme, who caught it and put it down. Itoro didn't see who got to the base first, but Bella said Rosalie was out.

"OUT! WOO!" Emmett yelled, too excited and hyped. "Babe, c'mon, it's just a game."

Rosalie got up and shouldered past Bella. If she didn't restrain herself she would've shattered Bella's shoulder. Carlisle told her to behave, and then he was up next. Alice threw the ball again, and Carlisle hit it.