The Call Of The Wicked, on-hold

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE | NEW MOON ?

"Victoria was in the water" Stefan's voice cut like a whip slicing through the breeze.

Bella cut her off then, as soon as she said his name. She let her go on, even after she realized the misunderstanding she was under, just to hear the perfect bell tone of her voice. But it was time to interrupt."Alice, I wasn't committing suicide."

She eyed the brunette dubiously. "Are you saying you didn't jump off a cliff?" Alice crosses her arms as her own brown short locks bounced to which Stefan pressed the palm of his hand over his face with a small shake of his own head. "No, but" Bella grimaced "It was for recreational purposes only." Alice's expression hardened narrowing her own perfected eyes.

"I'd seen some of Jacob's friends cliff diving and I've seen Stefan do it" Bella insisted. "It looked like fun, and I was bored. I thought Stefan joining would be easier for supervision. Which is a mistake on my part. He fell with me trying to catch me" Bella cast an apologetic expression as Alice waited with a brow perks, "He's a lousy vampire" Her words were that of playful taunt on Stefan who glared at her.

"I didn't think about how the storm would affect the currents. Actually, I didn't think about the water much at all." Alice didn't seem to buy it. Stefan could see that she still thought Bella had been trying to kill herself. "Bells is a little crazy but not that much" Stefan felt his lips curve into a smile when Rosalie wrapped an arm over his lower back.

"So if you saw me go in, why didn't you see Jacob?" Bella explained as Alice cocked her head to the side, distracted. Bella continued. "It's true that I probably would have drowned if...Stefan hadn't jumped in after me. Well, okay, there's probably nothing about it. But he did, and he pulled me out, and I guess he and Jake towed me back to shore" A sharp take of breath encircled around Bella when she felt the grip from her brother on her shoulders. "Though I was kind of out for that part. It couldn't have been more than a minute that I was under before he grabbed me. How come you didn't see that?"

She frowned in perplexity, "Someone pulled you out?"

"Yes. Stefan and Jacob saved me."
Bella watched curiously as an enigmatic range of emotions flitted across her face. Something was bothering her imperfect vision? But neither siblings were sure. Then she deliberately leaned in and sniffed their shoulders.

Stefan froze a second as he narrowed his eyes just in the second as she figured that Rosalie's own scent was circling around his this very second. Rosalie herself knew that Jacob was a shape-shifter just like Stefan and she figured Alice would know by the scent and freak out. Gods know she hasn't told anyone else yet.

"Don't be ridiculous," she muttered, sniffing at the siblings some more.
"What are you doing?" She ignored Bella'a question. "Who was with you out there just now? It sounded like you were arguing."

"Jacob Black. He's sort of my best friend and Stefan's cousin" A laugh parted Stefan lips meeting the questioning gaze of Rosalie. " I guess. At least, he was" Bella thought of Jacob's anger,
betrayed face, and wondered what he was to her now.

Alice nodded, seeming preoccupied.
"What?" Bella asked focusing her eyes on her own friend as Stefan settled on the couch with a fierce expression. His apparent golden eyes narrowed a bit as he stared ahead at the conversation between his little sister and Alice. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not sure what it means."

"Well, I'm not dead, at least." Bella cracked a small smile when Stefan reached and thumped the girl on the arm "No time for jokes" He mumbled under her breath with a jaring breath of annoyance. Alice rolled her eyes. "He was a fool to think you could survive alone. I've never seen anyone so prone to life-threatening idiocy."