Gifted

Chapter 7: Singer

Bella finished washing up and slowly pulled out some clean clothes. She was deep in thought, frowning to herself for the first time since she arrived at her stream as she mulled over something that did not please her. She looked at her perfect bike out of the corner of her eye and frowned some more.

'Damn it,' she thought. This thing was way too flashy. How could she explain how she paid for it to her father? She might be able to come up with a plausible excuse...but the man was a cop. And it really is pretty darn conspicuous. 'Damn it,' she thought again. 'That was a short honeymoon.'

She felt silly for feeling so strongly about something she's had for less than a month. She has never been one for attachments. The longest she ever stayed in one place was two months. Usually her stops lasted a few weeks at most. And given that she didn't exactly have regular access to a proper washing machine and god help her if she tried to sew anything without hemorrhaging, clothing and the meager possessions she came by weren't things she ever held onto for long either.

She felt her forehead crease as she frowned some more. It made her nervous as she realized that in the last month she'd become mentally attached to living with her father again in a real home. Be careful, she thought to herself. Don't depend on him just yet. He said it himself-he hasn't, he won't forgive you. What exactly will that mean?

She didn't know the answer, but she did know she needed to get rid of that bike, and possibly some of her other shinier possessions if she wanted to avoid suspicion and awkward questions from Charlie. She made her decision right then. Leaving the clothes she had washed laying flat on a rock to dry, she quickly gathered her things and sped away from Forks in the direction she had come.

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"Dude, you were serious?" Emmett exclaimed, his eyes bright from both the hunt and from excitement. Edward out of control...that didn't happen every day.

Edward growled as he heard Emmett's thoughts. But everyone's thoughts were along the same line, though Emmett's were the most colorful as usual.

He and Carlisle wasted no time pulling Edward back further from the window, which Esme rushed to close. They all breathed (figuratively) deeply, grateful to have averted a terrible disaster in the nick of time.

Edward finally lost the crazed look he had worn for the last hour, yet he still paced back and forth growling like a madman.

"It's still there," he hissed. "She's gone but her scent is still there."

"Wait, she left? When?" Asked Emmett.

"Half an hour ago," answered Rosalie. "I think-no I'm sure she was on a bicycle."

"Oh, well that's good," said Carlisle, relief flooding his face. "She's probably a camper then. And not from around here. No one local ever comes here. She's probably already moving on."

Edward's face contorted into a mask of pained torture. Emmett really could not believe this was happening...to Edward of all vampires!

He got a glare from Edward for that, but Emmett just shrugged. It's true, he whined inside his head.

"Emmett," Carlisle started. "Why don't you come with me to investigate her camp spot. You seem the least affected by her scent out of all of us."

Emmett started at that. He glanced at his wife and was about to speak, when he promptly shut himself up. Rosalie's eyes were significantly darker than they were this morning. Not dangerously so, and certainly not the crazed black of his brother's, but enough to startle him. She looked shaken and quite disturbed. Rosalie had never, in their 70 years together had this kind of reaction to a human.

She looked at him and nodded, confirming what he could already see. Whoa, he thought. This girl must be really something!

He chuckled quietly at the look Edward shot at him, and followed Carlisle out towards the campsite.

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Bella believed in a lot of crazy things (she only had to look in a mirror for confirmation after all) but luck wasn't one of them. But here she was on her way back to Forks mere minutes after spotting a sporting goods store in the next town. The owner was so enthralled with her bike (he had sold out weeks ago and the next resupply wasn't due for months) that he offered her an unbelievable cash trade...and a cheap but durable old bike to get her home. When she traded down the panniers, the day pack and the other odds and ends she had acquired last month, she left the store with over $2000 tucked into every nook and cranny her shoes and clothing allowed. She had never seen, let alone touched this much cash in her life. She knew, technically speaking, that it wasn't all that much in the grand scheme of things...but she still felt like a millionaire, and couldn't stop herself from smiling all the way back to Forks.

She felt so good she decided to visit a supermarket on the way back to her stream and get something real to eat.

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Carlisle and Emmett made it to the campsite in seconds. They already knew she wasn't there, but her scent was all over it.

"Mmmm, mmmm," said Emmett, unable to keep the laughter from his voice. "Tasty!"

Even miles away, he still heard Edward's growl.

Emmett grinned a big bear grin, and changed his tone somewhat for Rosalie's sake. "Well it certainly is yum-fragrant, but I don't feel the need to rip my hair out."

"No, nor does Esme, or Alice. Even Jasper says he only feels overwhelmed from Edward's reaction," Carlisle analyzed. "I am rather intrigued that Rosalie is affected. To my knowledge, this is a first."

Emmett finally became serious. "Yeah."

Carlisle walked around the site, and Emmett couldn't help but admire his father-in-law. He has got to have the strongest will power of any vampire, he thought.

Carlisle and Emmett saw it at the same time. On a flat rock, lay two object with the strongest of the mystery girl's scent: her clothes so it would seem. Emmett grinned, and both he and Carlisle turned to look to one another.

"I think," Carlisle started, "a small act of theft, just this once, might be called for."

"Yeah!" Emmett cried out. "I wanna see nutty Eddie again!"

Even Carlisle smiled a little at that. But then he turned serious. "Go easy on your brother, Emmett. It appears we're dealing with a singer here. I would hate for anything to happen to this poor girl, and the repercussions on Edward and our family if it does."

"Whoa," Emmett said, eloquently put as always.

"Yes," said Carlisle. "Let's take these with us and see if Edward can try to get accustomed to her scent."

They ran back to the house after nicking the clothes and making it look like an animal had made its way through the campsite. Carlisle glanced at Emmett, and he knew what to do. Emmett moved to block Edward from reaching any of the exits, while Jasper fought to calm Edward down. Carlisle threw the garments at Edward and stood by Alice, ready to intercept if necessary or should Alice foresee it.

"Where are Esme and Rosalie?" He asked her. He felt concern for Rosalie and wished to speak to her.

"The grocery store. Esme was restless, and neither of them could stand being in the same room as Edward...Rosalie especially. So she went with her," Alice answered.

"Very well," said Carlisle. We'll speak when they return, he thought to himself.