51. Field Day

BPOV

I awoke to the sound of Rosalie's incredulous voice.

"You bought a Corvette? For yourself? Were you high on something?" she sneered at Edward, hands on her hips.

He looked rather sheepish as he admitted, "Bella thinks it looks cool."

Rosalie looked at him as if he had suddenly turned purple. "You bought a car because your girlfriend thought it looked cool? Who are you and what have you done with my brother? Have you been brainwashed? What person in their right mind chooses a car solely because of its exterior looks?"

Edward shrugged, not meeting her eye. "I know, I know. She's got me wrapped around her little finger. Could you please just jazz it up for me? Work your magic on it?"

She sighed, running her hand over her face. "Sure. I certainly can't let you drive that around as it is. What a disgrace. Are you going to let her drive it too?"

He looked guilty. Good, he should. How dare he hypnotize me and put me to sleep so he could take over driving? Humph.

"I'll let her drive around town if she wants, but she drives painfully slowly, so any drive that takes longer than ten minutes at her speed would be torturous to me. I think I could get out and walk faster," Edward complained. Whiney baby. I choose to drive safely and obey the posted speed limit. Of course, he considers 80mph to be a snail's pace, but even that speed terrifies me. Charlie had made certain I knew the dangers of speeding and of losing control of the car. He had shown me disturbing graphic images of various accident scenes when I was younger. Those images still haunted my nightmares on occasion.

I sighed inwardly, deciding to simply face Rose's wrath and get it over with now. I sat up with a groan, rubbing my eyes. "Good morning, Rose. I'm sorry about the Corvette. It's just the car I've always wanted since I was a little kid." I gave Edward a glare for whining about it, and he wisely chose to leave the room, giving me some space.

To my surprise, Rose laughed and gave me a good morning hug. "Don't worry, Bella. I don't blame you at all. If Edward had bought it for you, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. I know you don't know anything about cars, so I'm not surprised at your decision making process. I do, however, expect more from Edward. He's old enough to know better. Yet, he has informed me that this is his new vehicle, not yours." She shook her head in sorrowful disbelief. "Where did I go wrong?"

I stared at her in horror. "Of course he didn't buy it for me! I don't need a new car, I have the truck." Rosalie grimaced, wrinkling her nose. I knew she had no positive feelings regarding my truck, but it was sturdy and cheap—perfect for an accident prone danger magnet. "Besides, I already have the use of your SUV for trips the truck can't handle."

"Obviously he bought it for you, one way or another. You're seriously going to make him keep it? He has a reputation to maintain. He can't go from driving a Vanquish to school to driving that thing. He'll be a laughingstock," Rosalie protested.

"Rose, the Vanquish is supposed to be a special occasion car. I can't believe he has been parking it in a high school parking lot, leaving it vulnerable to vandalism, theft, and accidental damage. That car cost about ten times as much as Charlie's house! Even if you allow for inflation, the Vanquish is currently worth at least three to four times more than my Dad's whole property! As far as I'm concerned, he would be just fine with a nice Honda Civic. He has access to the SUV for trips involving more than four or five people, and he would get great gas mileage. It would certainly be a lot less ostentatious than any of the other cars you guys drive. Do you really need to flaunt your monetary status so thoroughly? I thought you didn't want to call attention to yourselves. Do you really think a group of gorgeous, fabulously wealthy, young, and unmarried—at least in their eyes—people would ever not attract notice? You think driving a car that costs more than most people of this town make in ten years is going to help you blend in?"

Rose held her arms up in front of her. "Hey, hey. Relax, Bella. If I can't blend in then I want to look my best while I'm sticking out."

"Like a sore thumb?" I started laughing and gave her a hug. "Rose, you know I can't accept a Corvette. What would Charlie say?"

"You won it in a sweepstakes?"

"I'm not eighteen yet, Rose. It wouldn't be legal."

"Legal shmegal. We've never let that stop us in the past."

"Hello! My dad's the Chief of Police!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You should get some breakfast now," Rosalie declared, changing the subject. She gave me a strange look I couldn't decipher. "I hope you like pancakes. I hope you REALLY like pancakes. And waffles." Before I could ask any questions, she left the room.

Edward strolled back in, chuckling to himself, giving me an amused grin.

"What's so amusing?" I challenged, still a little irritated.

He shrugged. "It's going to be an interesting day today. We've decided to have a type of Field Day with the Pack. We're going to be competing in various events, vampires versus werewolves. You, Emily, and Kim will be the judges and umpires."

There was a large amount of excitement from everyone as they prepared for an epic battle. Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Edward were up against Jacob, Jared, Embry, Leah, Quil, and Seth. Esme decided to help judge, both to help even up the numbers, but also so she could catch things our human eyes and ears would miss. The participants had made a raised judges' platform for us, allowing us to look down on the field below and see more of the action. They had even created a scoreboard we were supposed to use to help them keep track of their wins and losses. They had made a nice awning for it to protect us from the weather, either sunshine or rain.

The first event was the egg toss. The wolves won that one, hands down. They had a much easier time controlling their strength, as they interacted with humans all the time. Carlisle and Edward gave them a run for their money though. I couldn't help chuckling when the egg splatted in Edward's hands. He was thoroughly disgusted. Emmett and Rosalie were the first ones out. Emmett crushed it every time. They went through a dozen eggs before Emmett was willing to concede defeat. He spent the rest of the time moping and mumbling to Rosalie about practicing. She practiced ignoring him, though I think she has almost perfected it.

Tug of War was a Draw, as the chain snapped as soon as both sides began pulling on it with all their might. The vampires won the High Jump and the Long Jump. The wolves won the donut eating contest. (That one was a given.) Emmett gave it his best shot, trying to swallow without tasting them. He choked down a dozen before turning green and upchucking behind a bush. The vampires also won the river swimming relay, as they had the advantage of not needing to breathe. It was still fairly close though, as the La Push boys were all excellent swimmers.

As lunch time approached, they all agreed to a race to Seattle and back. If the Cullens won the race, they would be the reigning champions, as the score was three to two in favor of the Cullens. If the wolves won the race, they would get to choose the final tie breaker challenge.

Since Quil and Seth hadn't phased yet, Carlisle and Rosalie agreed to sit it out, to make the race fairer. The other eight took off when I shouted "Go!" Esme, Emily, Kim and I set about preparing a delicious buffet that would be ready by the time the wolves returned. We laughed and joked, swapping stories and recipes. Emily positively glowed, radiating happiness. She looked so much happier than she had when she arrived, though she was greatly anticipating her reunion with Sam. She was both excited and scared, unsure of how he would react. Rosalie decided to begin work on the new 'Vette while waiting for the others to finish the race, and Carlisle took the opportunity to run some tests and experiments on Seth and Quil, knowing they would phase any day now.

EPOV

As I felt the wind whistling through my hair, I thought about the real reason for both Field Day and this race in particular. Alice and Jasper were ready to enact their revenge. The wolves had become complacent. They no longer watched their backs or jumped at shadows. If they thought Jasper had forgotten, then they didn't know him at all. Jasper was merely biding his time, designing the perfect revenge.

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya. Jake chanted in his head as he flew past me, in all his canine glory, gaining the lead. Later, leech.

Leah flew past me on my left, running on all fours. Eat my dust, bloodsucker! Girls rule and boys drool. Especially these boys. It's so disgusting the way they run with their tongues flapping in the breeze. What would they do if they swallowed a bug? Eww. She began gaining on Jake.

I could hear Jared and Embry on my heels, running neck and neck. It was playing havoc with my instincts. I could almost feel their warm breath on the back of my neck, giving me the creeps. I had a good concept of what the humans must feel when we get too close to them. I picked up my pace, pushing myself even faster. I could hear their voices in my mind.

Well, at least we finally get to chase a bloodsucker, even if we don't get to rip him up and burn him.

This is fun! Maybe we should chase them around more often. It certainly gets the adrenaline pumping.

I rolled my eyes. "So glad you're enjoying yourselves, guys. It's lots of fun to get to play 'prey' sometimes instead of the usual 'predator'. Thanks so much for obliging."

You're welcome! Hey, what do you say to letting us rip off your limbs for practice? You can always just glue them on again later. We promise not to burn them.

Yeah, or maybe just a few bites? I wonder if you taste as bad as you smell.

I growled. "Thanks, but no thanks, brothers. Losing body parts is extremely painful, and so is the entire reknitting process. And yes, I do taste as bad as I smell. So do you, so you don't have to worry about any of us wanting to drink from you. Your blood is absolutely no temptation for us."

Hmmm. Interesting. Okay, well I guess we won't bite your arm off then.

Not even a nibble? Man, you just spoil all the fun, don't you?

I grinned at them mischievously, as they pulled up beside me. I was running at my maximum speed. I couldn't believe all the wolves were faster than me. Good thing they were on our side. I sure hoped they'd stay that way. "No, I don't spoil all the fun."

Sure, sure. Whatever you say.

I can't believe we're getting our butts handed to us by a girl.

I can't believe we're getting our butts handed to us by Leah.

It's better than losing to a leech.

Yeah, you're right. See ya, slowpoke.

A few minutes later my phone began to ring. It was Alice.

"Hey, Alice."

"Are they so fast that they're already ahead of you?"

"Yeah. Scary, isn't it? I wasn't quite expecting them to be that fast."

"Well, if they're already beating you, then we'll never win. We might as well go back to the house and prepare for their return."

I thought about it for a minute. She was right. I was already running at maximum speed for me. There was no way I could beat them. I stopped in my tracks.

"Okay, I'm on my way back then. We'll simply forfeit the game."

"Excellent, I'll inform the others."

"Bye."

I ended the call and began running back to Forks. My spirits lifted in a way they only did when I'm around Bella or anticipating time with her. By the time I made it back to the house, Jasper and Alice were hard at work, gathering the materials for their simple but devious revenge. Emmett had grabbed a few egg cartons and began trying to learn to catch an egg without breaking it. Bella was busy with lunch preparations, so I decided to join Rosalie in the garage, to discuss the modifications she intended to make. I spent a good forty or fifty minutes comfortably that way

I got the head's up when Jacob's mind came within range. "Wolves are back!" I announced to the house as a whole. Everyone gathered out in the yard to welcome them back with cheers and applause. Leah was the first to race into the yard. We could hear that she was quite a few yards ahead of Jacob. She looked at us in confusion.

What the heck? How did they get here so fast? She ran back into the woods to phase and dress.

Jacob phased inside the wood line, where he had set aside his clothes and then jogged the rest of the way in human form, knowing Leah had already taken first place. He froze when he saw me and the other vampire contestants waiting for him.

"No way! There is no way you went all the way to Seattle and back unless you cheated!" Jacob protested. Leah emerged from the woods and went to stand by Jacob, her face scowling with suspicion.

"Relax, Jacob," I admonished. "You are correct. When we saw how fast you all were, we knew we didn't stand a chance, so we returned home to help prepare a hearty meal for the winners."

Jacob was taken aback when I admitted he was correct. His astonishment grew as I finished my statement. Then a pleased grin crossed his face. "Good, because I'm starving. I could eat a horse!"

"You look like you already did!" Emmett teased. "I could go for a bear myself. Horses are rather bland."

Jacob laughed. "I'd rather have a few platefuls of everything on the buffet table. What a gorgeous spread!"

Leah joined the other women, who all hugged her and congratulated her on being the fastest of the fast. Embry and Jared came barreling into the yard, neck and neck.

"You two tied for third place," I informed them. "Go ahead and change, and then come enjoy the bountiful food prepared for you." They nodded their big heads and stumbled off into the woods where they had hidden their clothes.

We all sat around on picnic blankets in groups of two or more, laughing and joking, giving the wolves and humans a chance to enjoy their food. Esme and Emily were in seventh heaven with so much 'family' around having fun. Their maternal instincts were in full throttle.

Jacob stood up and called for attention. Everyone got quiet and stared at him expectantly. "We have decided on the tie breaker challenge. We have to paddle canoes five miles up the river against the current."

"You're on!" Emmett shouted, whooping with delight.

Quil quickly protested. "Wait, our guys just ran all the way to Seattle and back. Their arms are tired. They need time to rest before we start the last challenge."

"Fair enough," Jasper agreed. "How about we play one more game to help settle your food, then you can take a nap? After your catnap, you can have dessert, and we'll do the final challenge. Does that meet with everyone's approval?"

Everyone quickly agreed. "What game were you thinking of, Jasper?" Emmett asked curiously.

"A form of Tag. We'll let Leah start as It, since she won the race. The first It doesn't count against the person starting. When you get tagged, you become It. The new It must freeze in place for three seconds to allow the former It time to get away. The second time someone tags you as It you're out. You get to name the new It from amongst the players. Whomever is named, that turn as It doesn't count against him or her."

"Sounds like fun," Embry rumbled.

"Okay, so basically it's tag, but the second time somebody tags you, you're out, and IT has to give everyone a three second head start, right?" Seth asked.

"Exactly!" Jasper agreed. "Nice summary." Seth grinned and nodded. Quil and Seth joined in the game, but both Carlisle and Esme chose to sit out with Emily, Kim, and Bella. After about twenty minutes, the ones who weren't playing started putting away the perishable foods. After forty more minutes the game was finally called. Alice and I were the last ones left. Surprise, surprise. We accepted a tie. At this point, the wolves were exhausted after so much running. They curled up in a pile, just like real dogs, in their canine forms, resting their chins on their paws. The ground was much more comfortable to their bodies this way. I laughed at the irony of the dogs taking a catnap.

Jasper and Alice let them sleep for 45 minutes. Then the gloves came off. Before the rest of the family even knew what was happening, Jasper and Alice appeared behind the wolves, holding white plastic five gallon buckets filled with a viscous fluid. In one smooth, coordinated motion, they splashed the contents all over the four wolves, who were jolted awake as the liquid hit them. Alice and Jasper set the buckets down and then rapidly escaped to the roof of the house where they could watch the results without losing any limbs.

"Jasper, Alice, what did you do?" Carlisle demanded angrily. Kim, Emily, and Esme were staring at them in shock and dismay. Bella had run over and was sniffing the buckets.

"It's syrup!" she announced. "They poured syrup on the Pack!" The wolves were growling up at the roof.

"They started it, Carlisle!" Jasper defended. "Alice and I were in a private place having private mate time, and they snuck up on us, surrounded us, and then all barked at the same time. It startled the heck out of us and really killed the mood. Then they split like cowards without a word of apology. They knew this was coming. They have no right to complain. All in all, I think I went pretty easy on them, considering they got to see the two of us naked."

The atmosphere had relaxed considerably and quite a few people were laughing on both sides, understanding this was merely a prank war and not serious. The wolves had all stopped growling as soon as Jasper started to explain. They had been expecting retaliation. Now they were receiving equally disapproving glares from Esme and Emily, who weren't happy with either group of miscreants.

Carlisle looked over at the wolves, noting that none of them wanted to meet his eyes. He knew Jasper was telling the truth then, but he asked anyway, curious if they would admit it. "Is this true, Jacob, Jared, Leah, Embry? Did you play a prank on Jasper and Alice?"

All four of them nodded their heads dolefully. Carlisle seemed to grow in his chair, as if pulling in power from the air around him. When he spoke again, his voice was full of authority, and not a single person present wished to cross him.

"Well, it seems you reap what you sow. However, I do not want an escalating prank war in my house, and I will not allow it. If anything occurs to cause injury or property damage, you will all be in trouble, do you understand?" Carlisle's voice felt like it resonated in our very souls. We all responded in the affirmative, even Esme and Emily, which one part of my brain found highly amusing. It was highly unlikely they'd be drawn into a prank war. Carlisle resumed his seat next to Esme, confident he'd gotten his point across to all of us.

The male wolves were trying to lick the syrup off their fur, but from their faces, they weren't enjoying the task. Leah was frozen in place, her voice wailing in my head.

Ick, yuck. Syrup in my fur! Disgusting! Sticky, icky, yucky yuck! Get it off! Ewww. I hate it. I'm going to bite him. I swear I am. Her too. This isn't over. We'll just have to keep it low profile. But they will pay. My beautiful, soft, silky fur! Sticky and matted. I can't even phase like this! Strong enough to stop a vampire, but taken out by a bucket of syrup. How ironic. Have to get this off, NOW! Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Leah threw her head back and let out a loud, mournful howl. It made her feel a little better, so she did it twice more. Rosalie took pity on her and led her inside to the shower, using the hot water to melt the syrup and wash it down the drain.

"Well, at least your scent of wet dog will finally be earned," Rosalie quipped. Leah growled halfheartedly. The rest of us laughed.

Then we heard it. A sound we weren't expecting. From off in the distance, somewhere in La Push, we heard two mournful howls responding to Leah's. I exchanged a look with Carlisle and another with Jacob.

If we don't reply to his call, he may leave it alone. Jacob was hopeful. If he comes this way, we'll go ahead and meet with him and explain the situation.

I repeated his suggestions to Carlisle. Carlisle nodded in agreement. We have done nothing wrong. We should not have a problem.

We need to get this syrup off if we are going to meet Sam. I would prefer not to explain its presence.

I laughed and led Jacob inside to my bathroom. I directed the other two to bathrooms as well, starting the water for each of them. Alice took pity on them and made sure they all had new clothes to wear. Once they were all situated, I went outside to wait. The womenfolk started bringing the food inside and putting it away. I stole Bella away and danced with her around the yard, humming a tune in her ear, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. For a few minutes it was just her and me. Nobody else existed beyond the two of us.

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