"Hi!" chirped a high pitched, melodious voice. I was so startled I leapt off the couch and crashed onto the floor.
"Ow," I groaned, rubbing my sore bottom.
"Alice!" scolded Esme. I blinked out of the temporary daze I was in and looked up in annoyance only for it to fade in seconds as my mouth dropped the floor.
Standing before me was perhaps one of the, fuck it, the most beautiful girl I'd ever laid eyes on. She had a head of ink-black hair that stuck out in a halo of spikes that made my hands twitch with the urge to run my fingers through it. Her face was cute, with a small nose, thin eyebrows and dimples near her enticing red lips. And her eyes…God, her eyes looked like swirling pools of honey that I found myself lost in. Vampire or not, she looked like an angel.
"Sorry about that. I'm Alice," the angel said, extending a hand to me. Her voice sounded as heavenly as she looked. It was strange, though. It sounded so…familiar…
It took me a moment to realize that her hand was still extended. Embarrassed, I accepted it, only to jolt my hand back the minute it touched hers. It wasn't so much the fact that her hand was icy cold that bothered me. I was used to that. But the second they touched, a strange, electrifying jolt surged through my body. It wasn't painful, just surprising. And it felt kind of good, too.
I glanced up at her to see that she too had a similar reaction, but her hand came back. I mumbled a "sorry" and took it again, allowing her to lift me up with ease. It was strange seeing someone like her be that strong. I mean, the girl was thin—not oh-shit-you're-anorexic-thin, just skinny—yet toned and was a few inches shorter then I was, about 5'1 or 5'2 to my 5'6.
"So, what's your name?" Alice asked, smiling.
"I'm B-Bella Swan," I answered, staring down at my feet.
"It's nice to meet you, Bella," Alice stated excitedly. I looked at her and gave her a sheepish smile. I didn't know how to respond, really. Neither Esme nor Alice said anything. We all just stood there, no one knowing what to do or say next. Talk about awkward.
My stomach, thankfully, had a mind of its own and started growling. I flushed in embarrassment at the loudness. Alice giggled, which only made it worse.
"Oh, Bella, I'm terribly sorry. I'll make you something to eat," Esme said, vanishing into the kitchen. Seeing nothing else to do, I sat back down on the couch. Alice sat next to me, her golden eyes never leaving. Is it weird that I like the fact that she's staring at me?
"Are you okay?" Alice asked. I turned to see her looking at me concernedly.
"I'm just…I dunno. I feel lost. Out of place. I didn't expect to be taken care of by vampires, for one thing. And I-" I paused for a moment. "Oh, shit. What day is it?"
"Saturday," she answered.
I still have a few days. "Um, thanks."
"Bella…" Her voice was gentle and a wave of familiarity hit me again.
Esme appeared then and placed a plate in front of me with a sandwich on it. I looked at it hungrily and without a word dove into it. I hadn't eaten an actual meal for over three weeks. It was nice to get some food in me. I forgot my manners in that moment, I even forgot that there were two vampires there watching me. I stuffed myself, moaning softly at how amazing the food tasted. The sandwich was gone in about two minutes flat, followed by the glass of water that had been next to it. Afterwards I laid back into the couch and sighed.
"That was delicious," I said, more to myself.
I heard Esme chuckle. "Thank you, dear. When was the last time you ate?"
I flushed, suddenly remembering I wasn't alone. Both Esme and Alice had been watching me, fascination in their eyes, Alice especially. I felt a little uncomfortable, which must have been noticed by both of them since they softened their gazes.
"Um, I haven't really had a decent meal for a few weeks," I admitted. Esme's eyes practically bulged out of her head.
"A few weeks? Good God girl! No wonder you look so skinny!" she shouted. "That changes things entirely! You are hereby not leaving until you get some food in you." I gawked at the firmness in her voice as she finished. She sounded so…motherly.
But wait. I couldn't stay.
"I can't stay," I muttered, staring down at the table.
"Why not?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I…I don't want to be a burden on you," I replied. Well, it wasn't a total lie.
"Nonsense dear, you're no burden," Esme sang. If only they knew.
"Bella, may I ask you something?" I hesitated for a moment before nodding. "How do you know about vampires?"
Ah. I knew at some point that question was going to come up. They wanted to know how I knew about them. Then they would kill me. Everything else was a cover story for me to spill it. My heart began beating as I eyed her nervously.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked in a low voice. She looked at me with a mixture of hurt, concern, annoyance and understanding. "You don't even know me." She looked at the table, then, thinking to herself.
"But I want to," whispered Alice, so quietly I almost didn't hear. I don't think I was meant to hear it either, but I did. I stared at her, surprise etched into my face. She sounded sincere.
"Why?" I pressed. "I'm some human while you're a beautiful vampire. Why would you want to know me? Besides, I thought vampires fed on humans!" I don't know where this was coming from, but the words flew from my mouth before I could think.
Alice rubbed her temples and sighed. "Esme told you we don't drink human blood, Bella. She wasn't lying. We drink animal blood. Please believe me when I say that we don't want to hurt you." Her golden eyes pleaded me, smoldering for my understanding.
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