Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER ONE ᴀʟɪᴄᴇ
I still don't know why I came to Forks. It was a small town, with too few people to go by unnoticed as I had in the city. But it rained ninety per cent of the time, and I loved the way the leaves smelled after a fresh storm, the distant rattles of thunder now blending with the sounds of swinging bats and clattering baseballs.
The earthy, fresh scent still remained, forever drawing me to the forest, to one, large pine tree, most of all. And that dream, the one I'd been reminded of when I first drove through the damp, winding roads of Forks, so silent, so tranquil, it remained in the back of my mind, and always in front of me too.
Alice was the embodiment of that dream; the figure that took the sense of newness and life and unfurled into one beautiful woman.
Her lips fit perfect against my own, her hands slipping through my hair, brushing gently against my chin until I was reduced to shivers. The sounds she evoked from me- not even I had heard those before.
"I have to go," I moaned against her lips, feeling the vibration of the air against her cheeks.
"You've got a few minutes," she muttered, not pulling away, but nuzzling her nose against mine. "Charlie burned the first batch of pasta- he had to start a second."
I let out a laugh, already able to picture Chief Swan and his burnt lump of pasta. He'd invited me over for dinner with Bella, and though he hadn't said it out straight, I knew it was a way of saying thanks for sticking with Bella. His strong dislike for Edward still wasn't wavering.
"Esme is dying to take us shopping," Alice hummed in her sing-song voice, head shuffling to lean against my lap, eyes gazing up to the skyline, where for once the sun peeked out.
"Both of us?"
"Well, she says the both of us, and Rose too, but I know it's you who she wants a bit of girly time with," she answered with a shrug.
"That's sweet."
I'd always liked Esme with her motherly hugs and gender smiles, and beautiful but uneaten cakes left on the kitchen counter. She reminded me much of my mother, had she been kind and caring and not the harsh, northern English woman she had been. In reality, they were nothing alike and yet I loved them for similar reasons: their big hearts and passion for their children.
Alice turned over, fingers playing with the hem of my jeans, then absentmindedly hooking around the belt loops.
"The first thing she'd ask about is us," she said with a playful smirk.
"Us?"
Alice sighed. "We're going to have to tell them at some point."
I pushed her away lightly, unable to stop the frown forming on my face. "I know. I know."
"Edward already knows."
"Just a little while longer," I whispered. "Please."
Alice nodded and pulled me back in for a kiss.
"Elide! Thank God!" Bella whisper-screamed as I stepped onto the porch, not even having raised my knuckles to knock yet. "I don't think I could take another minute of this alone."
"That bad?"
She was scowling as she looped her arm around mine, dragging me into the house, shutting the door onto the rain that had started only ten minutes before. "Of course it's that bad," she groaned, keeping her voice low as she cringed at the sound of metal clanging from the kitchen. "I tried to tell him that turning up the heat would just burn it rather than cooking it quicker, but you know how it is. Charlie only listens to Charlie."
I grinned, patting her hand. "Good thing I'm not hungry then."
Bella's eyes widened as if she suddenly remembered the fact that I didn't eat. I shrugged her off before she could say anything.
"I'll bring it back up later."
She cringed again, pausing for a moment before we stepped in. "Nice."
Charlie stumbled over himself by the hob as he saw us enter, a grin taking over his confused expression. He wiped his hands against his work jacket and strode over, his frame another foot taller than me as he placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling pleasantly.
"Elide! Nice to see you again," he said as he moved back to the pasta. "I'm telling you, I'm glad to have someone other than that Edward coming over."
Bella's jaw dropped open, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Dad!"
"What?"
"He's my boyfriend. You're going to have to get used to him at some point."
Charlie nodded, as if unbothered, then turned to me. "And what do you think of him? The Cullens are a great family. Carlisle is brilliant and Alice is just lovely. But Edward..."
He grimaced as if even his name disgusted him. Bella groaned, covering her head.
"He's not so bad. He helps Bella and me with school work all the time. He and Alice are pretty much the reason I'm getting straight As," I lied, and it seemed to make him somewhat happy.
"Alright then."
Charlie nodded once, then turned on his heels, eyes widening as he looked to the food. I could smell the burning only seconds after.
"I hope you're hungry!"
"Starved."
Bella held her breath, as if not to laugh.
"I used the recipe you leftover the other week," Charlie said, seeming nothing but pleased with himself.
I managed to choke down a few forkfuls of Charlie's pasta before he was distracted and Bella managed to toss half of it to the bin. Her own plate was only half eaten, but when Charlie turned back again, he was grinning as he looked between us, his own beer knocked back and plate scraped clean.
"Have you heard about the murders in Seattle?" He asked as we moved to clean the dishes.
"Murders?"
He nodded grimly, momentarily surprised by my ignorance.
"Dad, can we please not talk about that at the dinner table," Bella complained.
"We're not at the dinner table now," he said as he searched for the tea towel, only to be handed it by Bella. "I'm sorry Bels, I'm just worried, is all. What a state the world is in these days. Can't leave the house without fearing something."
Bella sighed. "Thanks for the food, Dad, but me and Elide are going to go up to my room."
"Thanks again, Chief Swan," I said as she pulled me out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.
"What did I tell you, call me Charlie."
I laughed, glancing back only once. "Will do, Mr Swan!"
☾
Small one but we're back for book three! I'm so excited about the plot line of this one and to have more alive and elide scenes! Also, apologies for not having this out earlier this evening, but my wifi was not cooperating at all. Any expectations or the theories for the eclipse plot line? Love you all! Xoxo
