𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍:
Family meets the human girl

IT HAS BEEN A STRANGE WEEK FOR THE CULLENS.

First, Edward tells Bella everything about them, each family member's brief history on how they became what they are, and Rosalie is mad for not giving their history some privacy.

Second, Edward revealed his sparkling skin to Bella, making it official that Bella really does know that he is a vampire.

Last, Edward told Thalia that Bella said whispered 'I love you' when she was sleeping.

So now Edward is convincing Rosalie to meet Bella, and the blonde is stubborn, but Edward is very convincing, and she tells him, and she'll give it a try.

No promises were mentioned.

And as Christopher exclaimed, "O.M.G, I totally called that, Esme, darling, tell me that I won." because he and Emmett made a bet that Edward would tell Bella that he is a vampire.

Currently, Thalia, Carlisle, Christopher, and Esme are waiting at the house's entrance. Thalia is quite nervous if asked, she has met and talked to the girl in school, but she didn't know what they were back then.

Carlisle places an arm around the back of her small waist and places a kiss on the back of her head, a silent gesture that Thalia adored. It made her calm down.

Esme is shy. It was rare that she ventured out alone to mix with the mortal world. A true homebody, she was quite happy to let the rest of them bring the world back to her as needed.

Christopher remains neutral.

"Thalia, Carlisle, this is Bella," Edward introduces.

"You're very welcome, Bella," Carlisle says as held out his hand. Bella seemed to be comfortable since she knew Carlisle already and shook his hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen," Bella says, sounding like she really meant it, and Thalia smiles at her fondly.

"Please, call me Carlisle."

"Carlisle," Bella beams and Thalia suddenly takes her hand as she smiles. "It's nice to see you again, Bella."

Bella is shocked at her forwardness yet smiles comfortably anyway, she has talked to Thalia dozens of times before, and she adored the woman.

"It's nice to see you too, Thalia," Bella says, and Esme steps forward, untangling her hand in Christopher's hold.

"It's very nice to meet you," Esme says, her affection radiating, and Bella smiles. "Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too."

Then Bella looks at Christopher, who just gives him a curt nod, standing in his position like a soldier, uptight.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asks, and as always, Alice's timing is always perfect.

"Hey, Edward!" Alice called out as she darted into view, then she ran-really ran, not in a human way-down the steps and hurtled to stop just an inch from Bella.

The five of them froze as Alice placed a kiss on Bella's cheek, Edward shot her a warning look, and Alice didn't even pay attention to him.

"You do smell nice," Alice comments. "I never noticed before,"

Jasper followed Alice down the stairs, not racing but not moving cautiously like Carlisle and Thalia.

There was no need for him to put on a show. He grins at them and stops by the newel post, leaving what might have felt like an odd distance between himself and the rest of them.

"Hello, Bella,"

"Hello, Jasper," Bella smiles easily and looks back at the four adults in front of her. "It's nice to meet you all-you have a very beautiful home."

"Thank you, we're glad that you came," Esme says, and Bella glances at the stairs again, expectant, and Thalia gives Edward a saddened look and mentally tells him.

"I'm sorry, she wasn't ready. She's talking to her wife with Emmett, trying to calm her down." Edward just nods in understanding while Bella looks at the piano.

"Do you play?" Esme asks, and Bella shakes her head. "Not at all. But it's so beautiful. Is it yours?"

"No. Edward didn't tell you he was musical?" Esme laughs, and Bella gives Edward the strangest look.

"No," Bella answers her. "I should have known, I guess."

Esme looks at Edward, confused, enough to compel Bella to explain.

"Edward can do everything," Bella clarifies. "Right?"

Thalia just snorts, Carlisle represses his amusement, Esme smiles as Jasper and Christopher laugh out loud, and Alice is watching the conversation that would happen twenty seconds from now; this is old news to her.

Esme gives Edward a disapproving-mother look. "I hope you haven't been showing off-it's rude."

"Just a bit," Edward admitted laughing, then Esme encouraged him to play, and after that, he toured Bella around the house.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"THALIA," Edward says as he opens the door to her office. With Bella following behind him, Edward nods. Alice already told her what Edward was about to ask.

"Enjoying the tour, I see," Thalia says while she closes the book she is currently reading, already hearing that Edward asked Carlisle to tell his story, but his shift is early, and left, leaving Edward to tell her everything, and it was Thalia's turn.

Bella is curious about Thalia's story. From what she knows, Thalia was just turned two years ago, and she's a banshee before becoming a vampire.

"Bella wants to know something about you," Edward tells her as the human glances at Edward annoyingly and looks back at Thalia shyly, and says, "If that's okay?"

Thalia smiles and nods. "It's okay. There is nothing much to know."
Edward snorts. Oh, Thalia's story is very interesting, especially to a human like Bella.

The two enter her room and take a seat on the small couch, and the woman asks, "What would you like to know?"

Then Bella beams and asks, "What's a banshee?"

"Banshees can feel death in a minute or an hour, and they release a loud scream, indicating that the person has passed," Thalia answers, and Bella nods at every word Thalia says.

"At what age did you become a banshee?" Bella asks, and Thalia answers, "At the age of 12."

"That's a very young age. You must've witnessed death a lot."

"More than you could ever know and see," Thalia answers as she encourages Bella to ask more.

"If it's okay, why were you turned?" Bella asks warily and carefully, not wanting to offend the woman.

"No worries now, I was turned because my ex-live-in partner shot me. Carlisle and the others were there to save me," Thalia answers casually.

"Why? Why did he do that?" Bella asks, shocked.

"He held a grunge on my parents and released it on me. He's very abusive," Thalia answers as Edward purses his lips, his mind recalling the events of what they did to that psychotic man.

"Where is he now?" Bella asks as she looks both at Thalia and Edward.

"Oh, you can ask Edward about that," Thalia tells her as the girl expectantly looks at the man beside her, and Edward sighs. "He's gone. We dealt with him while Thalia's in transition."

"And I thank them for that." Thalia beams as she gives Edward a look of gratefulness, and Edward just smiled at her warmly.

Then Alice informed them that there is going to be a storm tonight, and they are going to be playing baseball tomorrow