The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY

I WAS NINETY-NINE POINT NINE PERCENT SURE I WAS aspirationing.The reasons I was so certain were that, first, I was peace in a quick-witted shaft of sunlightthe manikin of blinding clear sun that n forever shone on my drizzly refreshed home townsfolk in Forks, Washingtonand second, I was looking at my Grandma Marie. Gran had been dead for six years now, so that was solid evidence toward the dream theory.Gran hadnt changed very often eras her face looked good the same as I remembered it. The struggle was soft and withitherd, bent into a thousand tiny creases that clung gently to the bone underneath. the the slip awayle a dried apricot, barely with a puff of thick color hairs-breadth standing out in a cloud around it.Our mouthshers a wizen pickerspread into the same surprised half-smile at just the same time. Apparently, she hadnt been expecting to see me, either.I was closely to ask her a question I had so many an(prenominal) an(prenominal)What was she doing here i n my cream? What hadshe been up to in the past six years? Was Pop okay, and had they found each other, wherever they were barely she straight-from-the-shouldered her mouth when I did, so I s pennantped to let her go first. She paused, too, and then we Goth smiled at the lower-ranking awkwardness.BellaIt wasnt Gran who c on the wholeed my severalize, and we both turned to see the addition to our sm altogether reunion. I didnt thrust to look to grapple who it was this was a voice I would slam anywhereknow, and respond to, whether I was awake or asleep or even dead, Id bet. The voice Id crack with fire foror, less dramatically, slosh every(prenominal) side real(a) day through the inhuman and endless rain for.Edward.Even though I was al representations stir to see himconscious or otherwiseand even though I was almost positive that I was dreaming, I panicked as Edward walked toward us through the glaring sunlight.I panicked because Gran didnt know that I was in love with a va mpirenobody knew thatso how was I supposed to let off the fact that the brilliant sunbeams were shattering off his skin into a thousand rainbow shards like he was made of crystal or diamond?Well, Gran, yon might have noniced that my boyfriend glitters. Its just slightlything he does in the sun. Dont worry about itWhat was he doing? The whole reason he lived in Forks, the rainiest sharpen in the world, was so that he could be outside in the daytime without exposing his familys secret. Yet here he was, strolling gracefully toward mewith the most beautiful smile on his angels faceas if I were the save one here.In that second, I wished that I was not the one exception to his mysterious talent I unremarkably mat refreshing that I was the only person whose thoughts he couldnt hear just as clearly as if they were spoken aloud. But now I wished he could hear me, too, so that he could hear the warning I was shout in my head.I shot a panicked glance back at Gran, and saw that it was too late. She was just turning to gaze back at me, her eyes as alarmed as mine.Edwardstill smiling so beautifully that my heart felt like it was waiver to swell up and burst through my titput his arm around my shoulder and turned to face my grandmother.Grans expression surprised me. Instead of looking horrified, she was staring at me sheepishly, as if waiting for a scolding. And she was standing in such a strange positionone arm held awkwardly a means from her body, stretched out and then curled around the air. Like she had her arm around psyche I couldnt see, someone invisibleOnly then, as I looked at the wallopingger picture, did I notice the huge gilt frame that enclosed my grandmothers form. Uncomprehending, I raised the hand that wasnt imprisoned around Edwards waist and weeed out to touch her. She mimicked the movement exactly, mirrored it. But where our fingers should have met, there was nothing plainly cold glassWith a dizzying jolt, my dream abruptly became a nightm are.There was no Gran.That was me. Me in a mirror. Meancient, creased, and withered.Edward stood beside me, casting no reflection, excruciatingly lovely and forever seventeen.He pressed his icy, perfect lips against my wasted cheek.Happy birthday, he whispered.I woke with a startmy eyelids popping open wideand gasped. Dull gray light, the familiar light of an overcast morning, took the place of the blinding sun in my dream.Just a dream, I told myself. It was only a dream. I took a deep breath, and then jumped again when my alarm went off. The picayune calendar in the corner of the clocks display informed me that today was September thirteenth.Only a dream, but prophetic enough in one way, at least. Today was my birthday. I was officially eighteen years old.Id been dreading this day for months.All through the perfect summerthe happiest summer I had ever had, the happiest summer anyone anywhere had ever had, and the rainiest summer in the history of the Olympic Peninsulathis bleak d ate had lurked in ambush, waiting to spring.And now that it had hit, it was even worse than Id feared it would be. I could feel itI was older. Every day I got older, but this was different, worse, quantifiable. I was eighteen.And Edward never would be.When I went to brush my teeth, I was almost surprised that the face in the mirror hadnt changed. I stared at myself, looking for some sign of impending wrinkles in my ivory skin. The only creases were the ones on my forehead, though, and I knew that if I could manage to relax, they would disappear. I couldnt. My eyebrows stayed lodged in a worried store over my anxious brown eyes.It was just a dream, I re headered myself again. Just a dream but also my worst nightmare.I skipped breakfast, in a hurry to corroborate out of the house as quickly as possible. I wasnt entirely able to avoid my dad, and so I had to spend a a few(prenominal) minutes acting cheerful. I honestly tried to be excited about the gifts Id asked him not to get me, but every time I had to smile, it felt like I might start crying.I struggled to get a grip on myself as I drove to school. The vision of GranI would not think of it as mewas hard to get out of my head. I couldnt feel anything but despair until I pulled into the familiar parking lot in arrears Forks extravagantly School and spotted Edward leaning motionlessly against his polished silver Volvo, like a marble tribute to some forgotten pagan god of beauty. The dream had not done him justice. And he was waiting there for me, just the same as every other day.Despair momentarily vanished wonder took its place. Even later half a year with him, I still couldnt believe that I deserved this degree of good fortune.His sister Alice was standing by his side, waiting for me, too.Of campaign Edward and Alice werent in truth related (in Forks the story was that all the Cullen siblings were adopted by Dr. Carlisle Culler and his wife, Esme, both plainly too young to have teenage children), but their skin was scarce the same pale shade, their eyes had the same strange golden tint, with the same deep, bruise-like shadows beneath them. Her face, like his, was also startlingly beautiful. To someone in the knowsomeone like methese similarities marked them for what they were.The sight of Alice waiting thereher tawny eyes brilliant with excitement, and a bitty silver-wrapped square in her handsmade me frown. Id told Alice I didnt want anything, anything, not gifts or even attention, for my birthday. Obviously, my wishes were beingness ignored.I slammed the doorway of my 53 Chevy trucka shower of rust specks fluttered pour down to the wet blacktopand walked slowly toward where they waited. Alice skipped forward to meet me, her pixie face glowing under her high black hair.Happy birthday, BellaShh I hissed, glancing around the lot to make sure no one had perceive her. The become thing I wanted was some kind of celebration of the black event.She ignored me. Do you want to open your present now or later? she asked eagerly as we made our way to where Edward still waited.No presents, I protested in a mumble.She finally seemed to process my mood. Okay later, then. Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the tv camera from Charlie?I sighed. Of social class she would know what my birthday presents were. Edward wasnt the only member of his family with un coarse skills. Alice would have seen what my parents were planning as soon as theyd decided that themselves.Yeah. Theyre great.I think its a nice idea. Youre only a senior once. Might as well document the dumbfound.How many times have you been a senior?Thats different.We reached Edward then, and he held out his hand for mine. I took it eagerly, forgetting, for a moment, my glum mood. His skin was, as always, smooth, hard, and very cold. He gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. I looked into his liquid topa2 eyes, and my heart gave a not-quite-so-gentle squeeze of its own. Hearing the flub in my he artbeats, he smiled again.He lifted his free hand and traced one cool fingertip around the outside of my lips as he spoke. So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?Yes. That is correct. I could never quite mimic the flow of his perfect, formal articulation. It was something that could only be picked up in an earlier century.Just checking. He ran his hand through his tousled bronze hair. You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts.Alice laughed, and the efficacious was all silver, a wind chime. Of course youll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. Whats the worst that could happen? She meant it as a rhetorical question.Getting older, I answered anyway, and my voice was not as steady as I wanted it to be.Beside me, Edwards smile tightened into a hard line.Eighteen isnt very old, Alice said. Dont women wonted(prenominal)ly wait till theyre twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?Its older than Edward, I mumbled.He sighed.Technically, she said, discovering her tone light. Just by one little year, though.And I supposed if I could be sure of the future I wanted, sure that I would get to spend forever with Edward, and Alice and the rest of the Cullens (preferably not as a wrinkled little old lady) then a year or two one direction or the other wouldnt matter to me so much. But Edward was dead set against any future that changed me. Any future that made me like himthat made me immortal, too.An impasse, he called it.I couldnt really see Edwards point, to be honest. What was so great about mortality? Being a vampire didnt look like such a terrible thingnot the way the Cullens did it, anyway.What time provide you be at the house? Alice continued, changing the subject. From her expression, she was up to exactly the kind of thing Id been hoping to avoid.I didnt know I had plans to be there.Oh, be fair, Bella she complained. You arent goi ng to divulge all our fun like that, are you?I thought my birthday was about what I want.Ill get her from Charlies right after(prenominal) school, Edward told her, ignoring me altogether.I have to work, I protested.You dont, actually, Alice told me smugly. I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. Shes trading your shifts. She said to tell you Happy Birthday.II still cant come over, I stammered, scrambling for an excuse. I, well, I havent celebrateed Romeo and Juliet yet for English.Alice snorted. You have Romeo and Juliet memorized.But Mr. Berty said we needed to see it performed to fully appreciate itthats how Shakespeare intended it to be presented.Edward rolled his eyes.Youve already seen the movie, Alice accused.But not the nineteen-sixties version. Mr. Berty said it was the best.Finally, Alice upset the smug smile and glared at me. This can be blowzy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the otherEdward interrupted her threat. Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. Its her birthday.So there, I added.Ill bring her over around seven, he continued. That will give you more than time to set up.Alices laughter chimed again. Sounds good. observe you tonight, Bella Itll be fun, youll see. She grinnedthe wide smile exposed all her perfect, glistening teeththen pecked me on the cheek and danced off toward her first class before I could respond.Edward, please I started to beg, but he pressed one cool finger to my lips.Lets discuss it later. Were going to be late for class.No one bothered to stare at us as we took our usual seats in the back of the classroom (we had almost every class together nowit was amazing the favors Edward could get the female administrators to do for him). Edward and I had been together too long now to be an object of gossip anymore. Even mike Newton didnt bother to give me the glum stare that used to make me feel a little guilty. He smiled now preferably, and I was glad he seemed to have accepted that we could only be friends. Mike had changed over the summerhis face had lost some of the roundness, making his cheekbones more prominent, and he was wearing his pale blond hair a new way instead of bristly, it was longer and gelled into a carefully casual disarray. It was piano to see where his inspiration came frombut Edwards look wasnt something that could be achieved through imitation.As the day progressed, I considered ways to get out of whatever was going down at the Cullen house tonight. It would be bad enough to have to celebrate when I was in the mood to mourn. But, worse than that, this was sure to involve attention and gifts.Attention is never a good thing, as any other accident-prone klutz would agree. No one wants a stain when theyre likely to fall on their face.And Id very pointedly askedwell, ordered reallythat no one give me any presents this year. It looked like Charlie and Renee werent the only ones who had decided to overlook that.Id never had much money, and that ha d never bothered me. Renee had raised me on a kindergarten teachers salary. Charlie wasnt getting rich at his job, eitherhe was the police chief here in the tiny town of Forks. My only personal income came from the three days a week I worked at the local sporting goods store. In a town this small, I was fortunate to have a job. Every penny I made went into my microscopic college fund. (College was Plan B. I was still hoping for Plan A, but Edward was just so bolshy about leaving me human)Edward had a lot of moneyI didnt even want to think about how much. Money meant next to nothing to Edward or the rest of the Cullens. It was just something that hive away when you had unlimited time on your hands and a sister who had an uncanny ability to predict trends in the stock market. Edward didnt seem to understand why I objected to him spending money on mewhy it made me uncomfortable if he took me to an expensive restaurant in Seattle, why he wasnt allowed to buy me a car that could reach speeds over fifty-five miles an hour, or why I wouldnt let him pay my college tuition (he was ridiculously enthusiastic about Plan B). Edward thought I was being unnecessarily difficult.But how could I let him give me things when I had nothing to reciprocate with? He, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to be with me. Anything he gave me on top of that just threw us more out of balance.As the day went on, neither Edward nor Alice brought my birthday up again, and I began to relax a little.We sat at our usual table for lunch.A strange kind of truce existed at that table. The three of usEdward, Alice, and Isat on the extreme southern end of the table. Now that the older and somewhat scarier (in Emmetts case, certainly) Cullen siblings had graduated, Alice and Edward did not seem quite so intimidating, and we did not sit here alone. My other friends, Mike and Jessica (who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase), Angela and Ben (whose relationship had survived the summer), Eric, Conner, Tyler, and Lauren (though that last one didnt really count in the friend category) all sat at the same table, on the other side of an invisible line. That line dissolved on pleased days when Edward and Alice always skipped school, and then the conversation would swell out effortlessly to include me.Edward and Alice didnt find this minor ostracism odd or hurtful the way I would have. They barely noticed it. People always felt strangely ill at ease with the Cullens, almost afraid for some reason they couldnt explain to themselves. I was a rare exception to that rule. Sometimes it bothered Edward how very comfortable I was with being close to him. He thought he was wild to my healthan opinion I rejected vehemently whenever he voiced it.The afternoon passed quickly. School ended, and Edward walked me to my truck as he usually did. But this time, he held the passenger door open for me. Alice must have been taking his car home so that he could keep me from making a run fo r it.I folded my fortification and made no move to get out of the rain. Its my birthday, dont I get to drive?Im pretending its not your birthday, just as you wished.If its not my birthday, then I dont have to go to your house tonightAll right. He shut the passenger door and walked past me to open the drivers side. Happy birthday.Shh, I shushed him halfheartedly. I climbed in the opened door, wishing hed taken the other offer.Edward played with the radio age I drove, shaking his head in disapproval.Your radio has horrible reception.I frowned. I didnt like it when he picked on my truck. The truck was greatit had personality.You want a nice stereo? Drive your own car. I was so nervous about Alices plans, on top of my already gloomy mood, that the words came out sharper than Id meant them. I was hardly ever bad-tempered with Edward, and my tone made him press his lips together to keep from smiling.When I parked in front of Charlies house, he reached over to take my face in his hands. He handled me very carefully, pressing just the tips of his fingers softly against my temples, my cheekbones, my jawline. Like I was especially breakable. Which was exactly the casecompared with him, at least.You should be in a good mood, today of all days, he whispered. His sweet breath fanned crosswise my face.And if I dont want to be in a good mood? I asked, my breathing uneven.His golden eyes smoldered. Too bad.My head was already whirl by the time he leaned closer and pressed his icy lips against mine. As he intended, no doubt, I forgot all about my worries, and concentrated on call up how to inhale and exhale.His mouth lingered on mine, cold and smooth and gentle, until I wrapped my arms around his neck and threw myself into the kiss with a little too much enthusiasm. I could feel his lips curve upward as he let go of my face and reached back to unlock my grip on him.Edward had drawn many careful lines for our physical relationship, with the intent being to keep me alive. Th ough I respected the need for maintaining a safe distance between my skin and his razor-sharp, venom-coated teeth, I tended to forget about trivial things like that when he was kissing me.Be good, please, he breathed against my cheek. He pressed his lips gently to mine one more time and then pulled away, folding my arms across my stomach.My pulse was thudding in my ears. I put one hand over my heart. It drummed hyperactively under my palm.Do you think Ill ever get better at this? I wondered, mostly to myself. That my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest whenever you touch me?I really hope not, he said, a point smug.I rolled my eyes. Lets go watch the Capulets and Montagues hack each other up, all right?Your wish, my command.Edward sprawled across the couch while I started the movie, fast-forwarding through the opening credits.When I perched on the edge of the sofa in front of him, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. It wasnt exact ly as comfortable as a sofa cushion would be, what with his chest being hard and coldand perfectas an ice sculpture, but it was definitely preferable. He pulled the old afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over me so I wouldnt freeze beside his body.You know, Ive never had much application with Romeo, he commented as the movie started.Whats disparage with Romeo? I asked, a little offended. Romeo was one of my favorite fictional characters. Until Id met Edward, Id sort of had a thing for him.Well, first of all, hes in love with this Rosalinedont you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliets cousin. Thats not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?I sighed. Do you want me to watch this alone?No, Ill mostly be watching you, anyway. His fingers traced patterns across the skin of my arm, raising goose bumps. Will you cry?Probably, I admitted, if Im paying attention.I wont distract you then. But I felt his lips on my hair, and it was very distracting.The movie eventually captured my interest, thanks in large part to Edward whispering Romeos lines in my earhis irresistible, velvet voice made the actors voice break infirm and coarse by comparison. And I did cry, to his amusement, when Juliet woke and found her new husband dead.Ill admit, I do sort of envy him here, Edward said, drying the tears with a lock of my hair.Shes very pretty.He made a disgusted clayey. I dont envy him the girljust the ease of the suicide, he clarified in a teasing tone. You humans have it so easy All you have to do is throw down one tiny vial of plant extractsWhat? I gasped.Its something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisles experience that it wouldnt be simple. Im not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning after he realized what hed become His voice, which had self-aggrandising serious, turned light again. A nd hes clearly still in excellent health.I twisted around so that I could read his face. What are you talking about? I demanded. What do you mean, this something you had to think about once?Last spring, when you were nearly killed He paused to take a deep breath, snuggling to pitch to his teasing tone. Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, its not as easy for me as it is for a human.For one second, the memory of my last trip to Phoenix washed through my head and made me feel dizzy. I could see it all so clearlythe blinding sun, the heat waves coming off the concrete as I ran with desperate haste to find the sadistic vampire who wanted to rag me to death. James, waiting in the mirrored room with my mother as his hostageor so Id thought. I hadnt cognize it was all a ruse. Just as James hadnt known that Edward was racing to save me Edward made it in time, but it had been a close one. Unthinkingly, my fing ers traced the crescent-shaped scar on my hand that was always just a few degrees cooler than the rest of my skin.I shook my headas if I could shake away the bad memoriesand tried to grasp what Edward meant. My stomach plunged uncomfortably. Contingency plans? I repeated.Well, I wasnt going to live without you. He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. But I wasnt sure how to do itI knew Emmett and Jasper would never help so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi.I didnt want to believe he was serious, but his golden eyes were brooding, focused on something far away in the distance as he contemplated ways to end his own life. Abruptly, I was furious.What is a Volturi? I demanded.The Volturi are a family, he explained, his eyes still remote. A very old, very powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in Americado you remember the story?Of course I remember.I would never forget the first time Id gone to his home, the huge white mansion buried deep in the forest beside the river, or the room where CarlisleEdwards father in so many real wayskept a wall of paintings that illustrated his personal history. The most vivid, most wildly colorful canvas there, the largest, was from Carlisles time in Italy. Of course I remembered the calm quartet of men, each with the exquisite face of a seraph, painted into the highest balcony overlooking the swirling mayhem of color. Though the painting was centuries old, Carlislethe blond angelremained unchanged. And I remembered the three others, Carlisles early acquaintances. Edward had never used the name Volturifor the beautiful trio, two black-haired, one snow white. Hed called them Aro, Caius, and Marcus, nighttime patrons of the artsAnyway, you dont irritate the Volturi, Edward went on, interrupting ray reverie. Not unless you want to dieor whatever it is we do. His voice was so calm, it made him sound almost bored by the prospect.My anger turned to horror. I took his marble face between my hands and held it very tightly.You must never, never, never think of anything like that again I said. No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourselfIll never put you in danger again, so its a moot point.Put me in danger I thought wed established that all the bad luck is my fault? I was getting angrier. How defy you even think like that? The idea of Edward ceasing to exist, even if I were dead, was impossiblypainful.What would you do, if the situation were reversed? he asked.Thats not the same thing.He didnt seem to understand the difference. He chuckled.What if something did happen to you? I blanched at the thought. Would you want me to go off myself?A trace of pain touched his perfect features.I guess I see your point a little, he admitted. But what would I do without you?Whatever you were doin g before I came along and complicated your existence.He sighed. You make that sound so easy.It should be. Im not really that interesting.He was about to argue, but then he let it go. Moot point, he reminded me. Abruptly, he pulled himself up into a more formal posture, shifting me to the side so that we were no longer touching.Charlie? I guessed.Edward smiled. After a moment, I heard the sound of the police cruiser clout into the driveway. I reached out and took his hand firmly. My dad could deal with that much.Charlie came in with a pizza box in his hands.Hey, kids. He grinned at me. I thought youd like a break from cooking and washing dishes for your birthday. Hungry?Sure. Thanks, Dad.Charlie didnt comment on Edwards apparent lack of appetite. He was used to Edward passing on dinner.Do you mind if I borrow Bella for the evening? Edward asked when Charlie and I were done.I looked at Charlie hopefully. Maybe he had some concept of birthdays as stay-at-home, family affairsthis was m y first birthday with him, the first birthday since my mom, Renee, had remarried and gone to live in Florida, so I didnt know what he would expect.Thats finethe Mariners are playing the Sox tonight, Charlie explained, and my hope disappeared. So I wont be any kind of company Here. He scooped up the camera hed gotten me on Renees suggestion (because I would need pictures to fill up my scrap-book), and threw it to me.He ought to know better than thatId always been coordinationally challenged. The camera glanced off the tip of my finger, and tumbled toward the floor. Edward snagged it before it could crash onto the linoleum.Nice save, Charlie noted. If theyre doing something fun at the Cullens tonight, Bella, you should take some pictures. You know how your mother getsshell be wanting to see the pictures smart than you can take them.Good idea, Charlie, Edward said, handing me the camera.I turned the camera on Edward, and snapped the first picture. It works.Thats good. Hey, say hi to A lice for me. She hasnt been over in a while. Charlies mouth pulled down at one corner.Its been three days, Dad, I reminded him. Charlie was crazy about Alice. Hed become attached last spring when shed helped me through my awkward convalescence Charlie would be foreter grateful to her for saving him from the horror of an almost-adult daughter who needed help showering. Ill tell her.Okay. You kids have fun tonight. It was clearly a dismissal. Charlie was already edging toward the living room and the TV.Edward smiled, triumphant, and took my hand to pull me from the kitchen.When we got to the truck, he opened the passenger door for me again, and this time I didnt argue. I still had a hard time finding the obscure turnoff to his house in the dark.Edward drove north through Forks, visibly chafing at the speed limit enforced by my prehistoric Chevy. The engine groaned even louder than usual as he pushed it over fifty.Take it easy, I warned him.You know what you would love? A nice little A udi coupe. Very quiet, lots of powerTheres nothing wrong with my truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know whats good for you, you didnt spend any money on birthday presents.Not a dime, he said virtuously.Good.Can you do me a favor?That depends on what it is.He sighed, his lovely face serious. Bella, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935. Cut us a little slack, and dont be too difficult tonight. Theyre all very excited.It always startled me a little when he brought up things like that. Fine, Ill behave.I believably should warn youPlease do.When I say theyre all excited I do mean all of them.Everyone? I choked. I thought Emmett and Rosalie were in Africa. The rest of Forks was under the impression that the older Cullens had gone off to college this year, to Dartmouth, but I knew better.Emmett wanted to be here.But Rosalie?I know, Bella. Dont worry, shell be on her best behavior.I didnt answer. Like I could just not worry, that easy. Unlike Alice, Edwards other adopted sister, the golden blond and exquisite Rosalie, didnt like me much. Actually, the feeling was a little bit stronger than just dislike. As far as Rosalie was concerned, I was an unwelcome intruder into her familys secret life.I felt horribly guilty about the present situation, injection that Rosalie and Emmetts prolonged absence was my fault, even as I furtively enjoyed not having to see her Emmett, Edwards playful bear of a brother, I did miss. He was in many ways just like the big brother Id always wanted only much, much more terrifying.Edward decided to change the subject. So, if you wont let me get you the Audi, isnt there anything that youd like for your birthday?The words came out in a whisper. You know what I want.A deep frown carved creases into his marble forehead. He obviously wished hed stuck to the subject of Rosalie.It felt like wed had this argument a lot today.Not tonight, Bella. Please.Well, maybe Alice will give me what I want.Edward growleda deep, menacing sound. This isnt going to be your last birthday, Bella, he vowed.Thats not fairI thought I heard his teeth clench together.We were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that ring the house. Big bowls of flowerspink roseslined the wide stairs up to the front doors.I moaned.Edward took a few deep breaths to calm himself. This is a party, he reminded me. Try to be a good sport.Sure, I muttered.He came around to get my door, and offered me his hand.I have a question.He waited warily.If I develop this film, I said, toying with the camera in my hands, will you show up in the picture?Edward started laughing. He helped me out of the car, pulled me up the stairs, and was still laughing as he opened the door for me.They were all waiting in the huge white living room when I walked through the door, they greeted m e with a loud chorus of Happy birthday, Bella while I blushed and looked down. Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edwards grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.It was a hundred times worse than Id imagined.Edward, sensing my distress, wrapped an encouraging arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.Edwards parents, Carlisle and Esmeimpossibly youthful and lovely as everwere the closest to the door. Esme hugged me carefully, her soft, caramel-colored hair brushing against my cheek as she kissed my forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around my shoulders.Sorry about this, Bella, he stage-whispered. We couldnt rein Alice in.Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Rosalie didnt smile, but at least she didnt glare. Emmetts face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been months since Id seen them Id forgotten how gloriously beautiful Rosalie wasit almost hurt to look at her. And had Emmett always been so big?You havent changed at all, Emmett said with mock disappointment. I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always.Thanks a lot, Emmett, I said, blushing deeper.He laughed, I have to step out for a secondhe paused to wink conspicuously at AliceDont do anything funny while Im gone.Illtry.Alice let go of Jaspers hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the innovation of the stairs. During the days wed had to spend cooped up together in Phoenix, Id thought hed gotten over his aversion to me. But hed gone back to exactly how hed acted beforeavoiding me as much as possiblethe moment he was free from that temporary obligation to protect me. I knew it wasnt personal, just a pr ecaution, and I tried not to be overly in the raw about it. Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens diet than the rest of them the scent of human blood was much harder for him to resist than the othershe hadnt been trying as long.Time to open presents, Alice declared. She put her cool hand under my elbow and towed me to thetable with the cake and the shiny packages.I put on my best martyr face. Alice, I know I told you I didnt want anythingBut I didnt listen, she interrupted, smug. Open it. She took the camera from my hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box.The box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Selfconsciously, I tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed.It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. I opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty.Um thanks.Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. Its a stereo for your truck, he explained. Emmetts installing it right now so that you cant return it.Alice was always one step ahead of me. Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie, I told them, grinning as I remembered Edwards complaints about my radio this afternoonall a setup, apparently. Thanks, Emmett I called more loudly.I heard his booming laugh from my truck, and I couldnt help laughing, too.Open mine and Edwards next, Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand.I turned to give Edward a basilisk glare. You promised.Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. Just in time he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look.I didnt spend a dime, Edward assured me. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, leaving my skin tingling from his touch.I inhaled deeply and turned to Alice. Give it to me, I sighed.Emmett chuckled with delight.I took the little package, rolling my eyes at Edward while I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.Shoot, I muttered when the paper sliced my finger I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single carry of blood oozed from the tiny cut.It all happened very quickly then.No Edward roared.He threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal.Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide.There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jaspers chest. Jaspertried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edwards face.Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on me.Beyond the shock, there was also pain. Id tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall , into the jagged shards of glass. Only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow.Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arminto the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.