Mute girl

Chapter twenty four - An evil pixie.

14:10 Tuesday 06th June 2017. A/N yeah, yeah, I know... I really should have updated this earlier, but it was such a hard chapter to write! I've been having a really tough time recently (which basically vetoes all my writing anyway) and I realised that betrayal situation with Alice is a lot like what's happening with me and one of my ex-friends. Anyway, there are only a few more chapter (two or three, I think?) left of this book, so hopefully updates won't be too slow.

And just to be clear, I don't own the Twilight saga. Not one bit.

I spent a long time avoiding Alice.

She tried to get me to one side, to talk privately, but I wasn't going to let her do that. Whenever she walked into the room I'd move to the back, start a conversation with Rosalie if she looked like she was about to say something or just completely blank her. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of eye contact.

It was strange how I felt so angry, yet so utterly terrified of Alice — of all the Cullen's — but it seemed much more concentrated when she was around. Nearly two months had passed since I'd last seen Charlie, two months of trying to feel safe when I just couldn't. I spoke most of the time though, which was good. I only had to sign when I was really stressed out, or when I had to be in the same room as Alice or Edward for too long.

I was sure that they knew how stressed they made me, but I didn't dare say anything. I just had to grit my teeth and get on with it. School, of course, had already ended, since there had only been a few weeks left before we were all called in sick with 'influenza', and I was glad that I didn't have to worry about high school again until September.

"Hey Bella," Rosalie said, walking into the room with a magazine rolled up under her arm. "How are you?"

I smiled, looking up from the book I was reading to reply to her. "I'm g-good, thanks, and you?" I still didn't like using my voice a lot, but I tried as much as I could. Rose seemed to understand what I was going through, and I'd become surprisingly good friends with the girl I still called Ice-Queen.

"Just fine, but I was wondering if you'd like to go shopping with me and Alice today? No offence but your wardrobe is seriously lacking."

I bit my lip and shrugged noncommittally — partly because Alice was coming, partly because I absolutely hated shopping. I didn't want to saw no, though.

"S-sure," I eventually said, putting the old receipt I'd been using as a book mark back in the book.
"Great! We'll go in five minutes, so get your shoes on."

I pushed myself up from the couch in the living room and back up the stairs to my bedroom, where I rummaged through the few clothes I had to find my sneakers. I was actually quite surprised that Alice hadn't dragged me shopping earlier, but I suppose she felt guilty about everything that happened, and was walking on eggshells as much as she could. Once I'd tied my shoelaces, I skipped my way down to the door and grabbed my coat from it's peg in the cupboard under the stairs, deciding to prepare for the worst of Washington weather.

Rosalie appeared behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder and smiling. "Ready to go, Bella?"
I nodded, stepping aside to let her unlock the door. She pushed it open and stepped outside, the grey sky giving no sun to expose her with. "I've got a list of what we need to get, but I'm sure Alice will convince us that we need loads more," she made her way to the garage with me following behind her.

"Are you and Alice talking yet?" I shrugged, since I wasn't really not talking to her, I just hated the awkward fear I got all around her.

Rosalie sighed, waltzing over to her red Mercedes and sliding into the driver's seat. "You need to fix this with her, Bella. I don't like what Alice said or what she got Jasper to do, but if you're going to yell at her you may as well get it over with."

I shrugged again, taking the seat behind the empty front one. Rosalie had got used to me doing things like that, so she didn't say anything. We waited for a minute in comfortable silence, Rose checking her hair in the mirror and me pressing my forehead against the window. We didn't have to wait long before the car door opened again and a certain spiky-haired little vampire got in.

"Hey Rose, Bella," she said, turning round to look at me. "I'm glad you came today," she added, as if she was trying to make things awkward. I stared into my lap and tried not to look so scared.

"Shall we go?" Rosalie revved the engine and backed out of the drive way, her face set in her trademark 'Gonna get things done' look. I pressed my forehead against the window of the car and watched my breathing cloud up the glass. It was about an hour to Port Angeles, where the nearest Mall was, so we had a bit of time to kill before we got there.

Unless Rosalie decided that she didn't like the speed limit.

"Bella?" Alice sighed with frustration when I didn't say anything. The glass window was ice cold against the burning skin of my forehead. I could see Alice trying to catch my eye form the corner of my vision, but I kept my gaze straight ahead. "Isabella Marie Swan!" Rosalie barked, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel.

I turned around to glare at her, crossing my arms firmly against my chest. "What the hell is it, Rosalie? You know I hate being called that!" I cried, doing my best impersonation of an evil dictator staring down the rebelling working class. She flinched backwards, realising her mistake and at least having the decency to look guilty about it.

"I'm sorry Bella," she said, and I knew she meant it. Unlike Alice and Edward and everyone else I knew, she never tried to justify her mistakes with an excuse. She just owned up to them, trusting me to understand whilst she took responsibility — that was something I really liked about Rosalie, and it was something Charlie had never done.

"What?" Alice asked, clearly lost as to what Rosalie was apologising for. It was funny, but I realised then that this must have been the first time  Alice had heard me talk in nearly two months — except from when she was out of the room and must have heard with her vampiric hearing.

"Bella doesn't like her full name," Rosalie explained. "It reminds her of him." I was glad when Rose didn't say his name, since even mentioning him made me tense up like a straight-backed Barbie doll. Alice didn't reply to it, a look of quiet understanding on her face as she changed the subject quickly.

"Look, Bella, I know you've been avoiding me and I know you're angry — and I get why, I really do — but I want to try fix things with you, so that we can at least be friends again,"  she said, keeping her voice soft and low. I kept my arms crossed and turned my glare onto Alice. I didn't want to make her angry, but I hadn't technically said anything yet to upset her.

"Can we just try, Bella?" She pleaded. I sighed and let my eyes drop back down to the floor.

"Okay," I murmured.

I saw Alice's face light up from the reflection in the driving mirror, her golden eyes glowing happily. I turned back to the window,resting my forehead against it and tuning out whatever else they were saying.