Honeybee

Chapter Thirty-Nine~Shifts

Chapter Thirty-Nine
Shifts
Edythe Cullen
June 5-11, 2006

The days following the discovery of the foreign vampire in Bella's bedroom were...hectic, to say the least.

The family decided as a whole that our best option was to find friends who would be willing to aid our cause. If not for the sake of our coven, then in preservation for their own tribes against the Volturi. Surely no vampire in their right mind would want the Volturi guard on the same continent as them.

However, the task proved to be more unsuccessful with every passing hour. Most nomads do not use modern devices, like cell phone and internet services. Even nomads that frequent the same areas repeatedly aren't too keen on using technology.

We all debated whether efforts should be made to search out a few much-needed friends, though we didn't know if we could afford to lose time seeking them out.

Jasper had volunteered to go and find Peter and Charlotte, which I learned were dear friends of his. They're two nomads that I am familiar with through my travels as an informant, which makes me nervous. Though I liked my previous encounters with them, they had the opposite feeling toward me. A Volturi member is a Volturi member to all nomads. Still, our largest issue was how to find them in such a short time.

It was decided that the only way to find Peter and Charlotte was if Alice went with Jasper, which, made the entire household nervous. But, if Alice were to see anything shifting in the future, a quick phone call home would be as good as anything else.

So, Jasper and Alice left as soon as school concluded Tuesday afternoon. Edward had brought Bella over to the house for everyone to say our goodbyes to and wish Alice and Jasper luck on their quest.

"Something on your mind, sister?" Edward asked me from his seat beside Bella on the nearby sofa, jarring me from my daydreaming.

"Oh..." I sighed, realizing the room was empty besides the three of us as I turned away from my post at the window to sit in Carlisle's preferred chair. "I'm just a little nervous about Peter and Charlotte coming is all." I confessed to them.

"Really?" Bella asked. "Why?"

"Well, nomads and established covens like ours alike all have a distain for the Volturi. Even though I was just an informant for them, I'm still pretty disliked by a lot of our kind." I explained. "I've met Peter and Charlotte a handful of times. I really do like them, but they have a certain...hostility against me."

"That makes sense." Bella nodded. "I'm sure once they get to know you, as a Cullen I mean, they'll really like you too." She smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, Bella." I smiled back at her. "Has Dad gotten in touch with his friends in Alaska? The Denali's?" I turned to my brother.

"No, no response from them yet, I'm afraid." Edward shook his head.

"Supposing that Peter and Charlotte join us, will we be okay without the Denali's?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, glancing worriedly at Bella to gauge her reaction.

"So...Alice has left me an instruction book for the graduation party. Do you have any request to add in, Bella? It is your party too." I asked, trying to distract both her and my twin.

"Are you serious?" Bella groaned. "Alice has lost her mind. Leaving you to do all the work! Unbelievable! Cancel it!"

"I don't mind acting as party-coordinator." I giggled at her reaction. "I think it'll be fun. A party is exactly the thing you need to lighten your spirits." I teased her. "Besides, the invitations have already been sent out. No sense in cancelling."