CHAPTER 25
WET DOG SMELL

MARGO dangled her feet over the edge of her mattress, wiggling her toes in the sunlight that reflected from her bedroom window. Her backpack laid untouched by the door, since she put it there as soon as she returned home from school. She, of course, had homework to do, but Margo was in such a joyful mood over the A+ she received on her difficult U.S. history essay. She propped her cellphone by her ear, calling Jacob to see what he was doing. She felt the need to share her good news, even though she knew her passing grade would never be a shock to anyone. The essay had been very challenging, after all, and history definitely wasn't her strongest suit.

When the phone stopped ringing, Jacob picked up with a stutter, "Um – uh – hi? Hello?"

Margo furrowed her brow. "Hey, Jake," she grinned, sitting up quickly. "I have awesome news to tell you! Remember that really hard essay I'd been –"

"I don't know if I have time to talk now, Mar. I – um ..." Jacob paused, and Margo heard him mumbling to someone outside of the speaker. She picked up on the name, Charlie. Jacob's voice then returned, "Yeah, right now really isn't a good time ... Oh, thanks, Charlie."

"Charlie?" Margo questioned. "As in Chief Swan? Bella's dad?"

Jacob sighed, hesitating for a moment. "Give me a minute."

"Is Charlie okay? Is he upset about Harry?"

Margo's questions remained unanswered for a very long minute. She chewed her bottom lip in anticipation. Eventually, Margo heard a door slam closed, and then footsteps echoed in rain puddles. "It wasn't about Harry, but I think Charlie is holding up okay." He finally replied, leaving Margo to exhale with relief. "It's Bella."

"What's wrong with Bella?"

Jacob paused. "She tried jumping off a cliff."

Margo's eyes went wide. "WHAT?!" The grip on her phone was now tight.

"I saw her jump by First Beach, and once she hit the water, I dove in and swam towards her. I got her just as a huge swell came in." Jacob's voice was shaking. "I ... don't even want to think what could've happened if I wasn't there."

"Is she out of her mind?!" Margo exclaimed irrationally. "Or is she on some suicidal acid trip?!"

Jacob tsked. "I really don't think it's about that, Margo. I think she's doing it to, like, get an adrenaline rush –"

"No, god – she's officially gone psycho." Margo shook her head, already pulling on her sneakers. "I'm going to go see her."

"That's not a good idea, Mar –"

Margo sighed. "That's nice. Goodbye." She hung up the phone before he could reply, and walked forward to pull on her jacket. Margo ran down the stairs, making sure she left Jenny a note on her whereabouts in case she got back early. She also mentioned that she was not going to any forests, so there was no need for her to worry. After grabbing her car keys from beside the doorway, Margo headed out into the downpour.

She could barely see outside of her windshield as she drove through the rain. It was fairly difficult, but Margo kept her hands firmly on the wheel. It wasn't long before she parked on the side of the road near the familiar white-shingled house. Margo put up her hood and stepped out of her van, running up to the front door as quick as she could.

Once she rang the doorbell, it took Bella a few moments to open the door. A confused expression took over her sullen features. "What are you doing here, Margo?" She asked, but Margo was already walking through the entry way.

"The real question is," Margo said, ripping down her drenched hood, "have you gone completely psycho?!"

Bella wrinkled her nose and didn't respond. The house was empty, and all Margo could hear was the house settling from the jagged wind outside.

"Jacob told me what happened," Margo continued, causing Bella's face to fall. Margo frowned. "What's going on with you? I thought you were ..."

"Over him?" Bella finished, raising a brow. "You don't get it, do you? I'm doing this to be closer to him again."

Margo's face twisted. "Of course, I don't get it! Why would I ever think you'd be doing reckless things to get to your ex? It makes no sense!" She shook her head. "The motorcycles, the cliff diving ... It's not normal. I'm surprised your dad is even allowing you out of the house. My way to be reckless is to procrastinate. How about you try that?"

Bella sighed, ignoring Margo's statement completely. "You don't understand. When I do reckless things, I see him. I don't know why, but I do. When I was on that cliff this afternoon, he appeared, telling me not to do it. The more irresponsible I am, the more he's there. I have to do these things."

Margo blinked, not saying a word. Her mouth hung open with surprise, and she was sure a fly almost flew into her mouth. The floorboards creaked from upstairs and the wind shook the household.

"Why am I even trying?" Bella muttered to herself. "No one will be able to understand."

"Trust me, Bella. Nothing surprises me anymore." Margo replied with a snicker. "Remember: I'm dating a monster now too."

Although Bella's face remained angry, she allowed herself to release a soft chuckle. Bella was soon covering her mouth when she realized how true Margo's statement was. It was a shock to notice how similar their lives had become.

The good moment was over before it had even begun. The lights above the two girls flickered, but after a moment, they went out completely. The only light left in the house came from the open windows, but even then, the sun was setting and covered in clouds. Both Margo and Bella were engulfed in darkness, causing the two to turn around with worry and confusion. "Um ..." Bella hesitated for a minute. "Did you turn off the lights?"

"I'm not even near a light switch," Margo replied, "at least I don't think I am. Do your lights normally do this?"

Bella cleared her throat. "Not normally ..."

Just then, the lights flickered back on. Margo blinked, adjusting her eyes to the bright orange light. They suddenly felt a presence in front of them, and Margo turned to her left to see Alice Cullen, standing as stiff as a board. Her golden eyes shined, but they held a fair amount of anxiety. She wore all white and gray, which was a contrast to her usually dark clothing.

"Alice!" Bella screamed, almost out of surprise. She embraced her friend tightly, and Margo noticed Alice's eyes grow wide, almost as if she didn't believe Bella was real anymore. "I'm sorry, I ..." Bella exhaled heavily as she leaned away. "I just ... I can't believe you're here. Is ... is Edward –"

Alice interrupted, "Would you like to explain to me how you're alive?!"

Margo looked between the two with recognition dawning on her. "Would you like to explain how you just showed up out of nowhere in the middle of Bella's house?"

Alice's eyes flickered to Margo for a moment. "It's a long story."

Margo stepped backwards after remembering that the other girl in the room was an actual vampire. "Wait," she paused, "how do you –"

"I saw a vision of Bella," Alice explained, turning to Bella with worry. "You jumped off a cliff! Why in the hell would you try and kill yourself?! What about Charlie?! What about –"

Bella rubbed at her tear-stained cheeks. "I didn't try to kill myself. I was cliff jumping – recreationally. It was ... fun, I guess."

"Hey, um – still here," Margo said, waving her hands in front of the two friends. They both turned to her, and for once, Margo noticed the annoyed expression on Alice's face. "Is anyone gonna explain why one of the Cullens is a psychic?!"

•••

Margo wasn't surprised to find out that some vampires were gifted with special abilities once they were turned. I mean, why would anything surprise her at this point? Alice explained to her that she has a gift to see the future, but sometimes her visions can change just as quickly as she sees them. The future was never certain, and Margo could certainly agree with that.

As Margo stirred two mugs full of lemon tea, she heard her phone vibrate in her pocket. Alice didn't want any tea, seeing as it tasted like "dirt" to her, and that explained to Margo why their trays were always empty at lunch. Margo pulled her flip phone from her pocket, seeing Jacob's name light up on the small outside screen. Margo sighed, "Not the right time," before sliding her phone back into her pocket. She took the two steaming mugs into the living room, where Alice and Bella sat on the couch.

Margo handed one of the cups to Bella, who took it gratefully. She then sat in the large chair in front of the TV, where she guessed Charlie usually stayed. "I know I told you once that there was no need to pry," Alice turned to Margo, "but how did you exactly find out my family's secret?"

"She knows everything now," Bella smiled softly.

"My research is extensive," Margo replied with a grin. "That and I'm dating a werewolf, so knowing about all the weird things in this town comes with the package."

Instead of laughing, Alice's face scrunched up. "That explains the wet dog smell."

Margo furrowed her brow, but before she could reply, Alice turned back to Bella. She crossed her legs over each other casually, although Margo noticed how fast her movements were. Within a blink, one leg was over the other.

"I have never met anyone more prone to life-threatening idiocy," Alice chuckled.

Bella kept her head down and nodded. After a long sigh, she asked, "Does ... did you – did you tell him?"

Margo noticed Bella's eyes meeting with her own as she took a sip from her mug. Margo kept the hot cup firmly in her hands, allowing the tea to warm her body. Her brow shot up at Bella's question, causing Margo to ask, "Who? Edward?"

Alice waved her hand, wrinkling her nose. "Shush!" She tsked. Margo threw up her hands in defeat as Alice looked back at Bella. "No, I didn't. He only calls in once every few months. He said he wants to be alone."

"What a dickhead," Margo muttered. Both Alice and Bella looked over, and Margo shrugged. "What? Let him be alone and wallow in his misery. If he's so depressed, then he shouldn't have left. Period."

Bella frowned slightly, remembering the day Edward broke up with her as if it were yesterday. The cruel things he said to her would leave an imprint on her brain forever. Alice's face twisted again as she inhaled. "God, I don't think I can take that smell coming off of you, Margo," she complained. "Who's your boyfriend, anyways?"

"Why do you wanna know?" Margo asked, knitting her brow together.

Alice narrowed her eyes skeptically. "I wanna know who exactly gave you that scar, if that's the case."

Margo's hand instinctively went to her chin. Her mouth dropped slightly, but when she noticed Alice's face soften, she realized the statement was not made with malicious intent. Margo swallowed hard and said, "Nothing to dwell on."

"Well, I have a right to know about the other monsters in town," Alice replied in a warmer tone. "Besides, werewolves are not good company to keep!"

The floorboards creaked behind them as Margo set down her mug of tea. The three girls looked over their shoulders, spotting Jacob at the entry way of the living room. Margo hadn't even heard the door open, but that also meant it was unlocked. Jacob's eyes locked on Alice as he said, "Speak for yourself."

•••

A/N: Our fave little vamp is here!!!! The gif above is of Lily Collins, who I imagine as Alice in this fic!

PS - The Bella/Alice ship is pURE AND GREAT AND I LOVE THEM