"No, Dad. That's kind of sweet in a weird way, but I don't think lessons would have helped. Jacob's head is really hard."
Charlie laughed. "Hit him in the gut next time."
"Next time?" I asked incredulously.
"Aw, don't be too hard on the kid. He's young."
"He's obnoxious."
"He's still your friend."
"I know." I sighed. "I don't really know what the right thing to do here is, Dad."
Charlie nodded slowly. "Yeah. The right thing isn't always real obvious. Sometimes the right thing for one person is the wrong thing for someone else. So . . . good luck figuring that out."
"Thanks," I muttered dryly.
Charlie laughed again, and then frowned. "If this party gets too wild . . . ," he began.
"Don't worry about it, Dad. Carlisle and Esme are going to be there. I'm sure you can come, too, if you want."
Charlie grimaced as he squinted through the windshield into the night. Charlie enjoyed a good party just about as much as I did.
"Where's the turnoff, again?" he asked. "They ought to clear out their drive - it's impossible to find in the dark."
"Just around the next bend, I think." I pursed my lips. "You know, you're right - it is impossible to find. Alice said she put a map in the invitation, but even so, maybe everyone will get lost." I cheered up slightly at the idea.
"Maybe," Charlie said as the road curved to the east. "Or maybe not."
The black velvet darkness was interrupted ahead, just where the Cullens' drive should be. Someone had wrapped the trees on either side in thousands of twinkle lights, impossible to miss.
"Alice," I said sourly.
"Wow," Charlie said as we turned onto the drive. The two trees at the entry weren't the only ones lit. Every twenty feet or so, another shining beacon guided us toward the big white house. All the way - all three miles of the way.
"She doesn't do things halfway, does she?" Charlie mumbled in awe.
"Sure you don't want to come in?"
"Extremely sure. Have fun, kid."
"Thanks so much, Dad."
He was laughing to himself as I got out and shut the door. I watched him drive away, still grinning. With a sigh, I marched up the stairs to endure my party.
Chapter 17. ALLIANCE
"BELLA?"
Edward's soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again.
This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine - like he was afraid we only had so much time left to us.
I couldn't let myself think about that. Not if I was going to have to act human for the next several hours. I pulled away from him.
"Let's get this stupid party over with," I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.
He put his hands on either side of my face, waiting until I looked up.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
I touched his lips with the fingers of my good hand. "I'm not worried about myself so much."
"Why am I not surprised by that?" he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath, and then he smiled slightly. "Ready to celebrate?" he asked.
I groaned.
He held the door for me, keeping his arm securely around my waist. I stood frozen there for a minute, then I slowly shook my head.
"Unbelievable."
Edward shrugged. "Alice will be Alice."
The interior of the Cullens' home had been transformed into a nightclub - the kind that didn't often exist in real life, only on TV.
"Edward!" Alice called from beside a gigantic speaker. "I need your advice." She gestured toward a towering stack of CDs. "Should we give them familiar and comforting? Or" - she gestured to a different pile - "educate their taste in music?"
"Keep it comforting," Edward recommended. "You can only lead the horse to water."
Alice nodded seriously, and started throwing the educational CDs into a box. I noticed that she had changed into a sequined tank top and red leather pants. Her bare skin reacted oddly to the pulsing red and purple lights.
"I think I'm underdressed."
"You're perfect," Edward disagreed.
"You'll do," Alice amended.
"Thanks." I sighed. "Do you really think people will come?" Anyone could hear the hope in my voice. Alice made a face at me.
"Everyone will come," Edward answered. "They're all dying to see the inside of the reclusive Cullens' mystery house."
"Fabulous," I moaned.
There wasn't anything I could do to help. I doubted that - even after I didn't need sleep and moved at a much faster speed - I would ever be able to get things done the way Alice did.
Edward refused to let me go for a second, dragging me along with him as he hunted up Jasper and then Carlisle to tell them of my epiphany. I listened with quiet horror as they discussed their attack on the army in Seattle. I could tell that Jasper was not pleased with the way the numbers stood, but they'd been unable to contact anyone besides Tanya's unwilling family. Jasper didn't try to hide his desperation the way Edward would have. It was easy to see that he didn't like gambling with stakes this high.
I couldn't stay behind, waiting and hoping for them to come home. I wouldn't. I would go mad.
The doorbell rang.
All at once, everything was surreally normal. A perfect smile, genuine and warm, replaced the stress on Carlisle's face. Alice turned the volume of the music up, and then danced to get the door.