Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Rabbit Meets The Magic Stick

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 27:

Bella was debating whether or not to tell Paul to speed it up. He was crawling at about ten miles per hour and had an iron grip on the steering wheel, as if it would break if he let it go. Several cars honked angrily at him so Bella told him to pull over and let them pass him before going again. When the car finally pulled to a stop at the Ateara’s house, two cars sped by him-one driver honked his horn and gave him the finger, while the other yelled, “Stupid tourists! Go back to where you came from!”

Their grandmothers were already waiting anxiously outside on the porch. As soon as they opened the door and stepped out, Glenda asked, “Where were you? Were you having sex again?”

“Again? Why? When were they having sex?” Bella’s appalled grandmother questioned.

“I caught them in his bed just before we got here!”

“Already! They just had sex last night! Exactly how often do you need to have sex?”

Aunt Molly joined them outside. “Were they having sex in the car while he was driving? Is that why they were going so slow?”

“Our grandchildren are not degenerates like Quil and you are, Molly!” Glenda declared in a superior manner.

Bella felt a headache developing from behind her temples.

Paul was pretty sure he was going to vomit. Driving was terrifying to him. He’d rather vanquish a hundred vampires than get behind the wheel of a car.

“How can the two of you just stand there acting like it’s okay to have sex in public? It’s bad enough that you two were on a public access road last night, but did you have to do it again? Both of you get in the house now! I have a right mind to tell your parents about this!”

As soon as they entered the house, Bella explained, “We weren’t having sex! I was teaching Paul how to drive!”

“So that’s what they’re calling it these days,” Molly quipped with a grin.

Fortunately, Paul’s grandfather saved her from having to dignify that comment with an answer. Gene slapped his forehead. “I forgot about that. Paul doesn’t know how to drive.”

“Yes, he does. He’s been zipping in and out of town for…” his grandmother paused as a realization hit her. “Oh, my, we’re going to have to teach you how to drive. By the way, I’m glad that arrogant Paul is gone.”

“We’ll all teach you,” Geoff Swan said. “We can also have a chat about how you’re going to treat my granddaughter going forward.” He started fiddling with the safety of his gun as he glared at Paul. On the other side of him, Old Quil casually cocked his rifle, and narrowed his eyes at the young Lahote boy.

Why were Bella’s male relatives all certified gun-toting tough guys?

“Oh, honestly, stop with the macho gun action,” Molly told both Geoff and Old Quil. “Paul is not going to hurt Bella.”

“No, he isn’t,” Quil the Wolf said. “She is his imprint. They’re as good as married. Now, can we please start the meeting? We have many things to discuss.” He paused. “And young Jacob here is anxious to get back to his new imprint.”

Bella and Paul started cackling immaturely at hearing that. They were both given swats on their hands by a stern Ephraim Black, who had just walked inside the house. “There will be none of that from you two public exhibitionists!”

“Grandfather, you’re still alive!” Jacob said as he barreled into his arms.

“I am.”

“And you cut your hair!”

“Yes, I learned my lesson well after tripping over my own fur at a critical time.”

“We had a long, chat with him about safety over vanity,” Levi said, and then turned to the kids. “We’ve waited for many years to see you again, but after last night’s windstorm, the likes of which we’d never witnessed before, we knew that you children-the right ones-would finally come home, especially with Bella returning to town permanently this afternoon.”

“Finally? We were only gone for a week,” Jake said.

“Can someone please explain what happened?” Bella asked. I woke up this morning thinking I’d been kidnapped by James and Victoria. When I finally opened my eyes, I realized I was in another universe. My parents are still together, for goodness sakes.”

Jake and Paul both noted that they’d had similar experiences upon awakening.

“Quil, why don’t you take it from here,” Levi suggested. “I might bungle up the explanation.”

Quil the Wolf smiled kindly at the kids, who were all seated on the floor, before beginning his explanation. “It all started that night in 1987-you three will remember it more clearly as ‘last night.’ There was a school dance and Glenda, Helen, and Molly decided to have a little ladies retreat at the hunting cabin. They never made it to the cabin. They were killed by the three vampires: James, Laurent, and Victoria. We had tried to overpower them, but we were too old and out of shape, while they were still powerful. That night, Levi and Ephraim lost their lives as well. In desperation, I used a powerful ancient chant to call on the spirits to reverse the events which had transpired because I knew the effects of these five deaths would be devastating, and it was, according to you kids.”

“Wait a second, so were the events changed?”

“Not so much changed, but given a second opportunity. The three of you are living examples of it.”

“How?” Paul asked. “How can we be the examples of it?”

“When I returned to my home after calling on the spirits that night, I was surprised to see the three of you in my living room, but more so to see Molly, who by all rights, should have been dead and drained. This is when I knew my chant had worked. Time had been reversed by one week, and I knew immediately that the three of you were the chosen ones, especially after reading your mind, Paul. The life you had led was so unbelievably bleak that I knew that it was because, somehow, life in La Push had gone haywire. If I hadn’t called on the spirits for assistance-the deaths of your grandmother, Bella’s grandmother, Quil’s grandmother, Levi, and Ephraim-life in La Push and Forks would have become the convoluted mess that the three of you grew up in.”

“I am confused about one thing, Bella. You implied that your parents got a divorce because Helen kept interfering in their marriage,” Geoff said.

“Well, she did, at least the memory of her did. My father was devastated by his mother’s death and could never get past it. All he did was hunt, fish, and drink beer. He stuck to his ways, or rather-his mother’s ways, and never left Forks. My mom couldn’t handle that. She didn’t mind living in Forks, but she also wanted to see the world. She knew there was more out there and she wanted to travel with my dad from time to time, but my dad didn’t even want to do the occasional trip to Seattle. Mom knew that if she had stayed in Forks with me, I would have ended up just like Dad. So, she took me home to California and we lived with my grandparents until they passed away. And it’s a good thing we lived with them, too, because my mom was flighty. She was always taking off to look for her soulmate, leaving me alone with her parents. My grandparents pretty much raised me until they were killed in a car accident when I was twelve years old. After that, my mother realized that she needed to settle down so we moved to Arizona, and she finally used her college degree and got a job as a teacher. She got remarried to a much younger man named Phil Dwyer who was a minor league baseball player when I was a junior. Anyway, she wanted to travel with him. That’s how I ended up back in Forks with Dad.”

“Well, I’m happy that you at least had the stability of your other grandparents in your life, Bella.” Her grandfather smiled warmly at her. “I met them before they passed away and they were very open and friendly. Your Grandma Higgenbotham was an incredibly talented chef, too. I still remember the beef stew she made when we all happened to be visiting you at the same time. I believe you got your cooking skills from her because it definitely wasn’t from your Grandma Swan.”

“Oh, I can make you that beef stew. I know the recipe by heart. I just need you to buy some Guinness Beer for me at Forks Outfitters.”

“Good, because Grandma’s beef stew is flavorless and watery.”

“Are you two done?” Helen asked with an exasperated expression on her face.

Geoff winked at his granddaughter who giggled at the situation.

Jacob raised his hand. “I have a question, what about the Bella, Jake, and Paul who were here until yesterday. What happened to them?”

“They were placeholders,” Quil the Wolf replied. “They were an image of the kids you were.”

“An image? I didn’t even like that arrogant brat the placeholder Paul was,” Glenda stated honestly.

“Why not?”

“Oh, I had never met a more entitled, little kid. He was always zipping around in that ostentatious car of his and bragging about how much better his life had been in Medina.”

“Medina? As in Bill Gates’ Medina?” Paul asked.

“Yes, that’s where you grew up. In fact, your parents still own a home there. Anyway, your father and mother were at their wits end about you. You were growing up to be a self-absorbed, privileged, brat-always staying out late and acting like a wannabe frat boy.”

“Wow. I don’t even like that me.”

“Your parents would ask you to do something simple like clean your room and you would throw a temper tantrum about how unfair life was and how your friends didn’t have to clean because they all had live-in housekeepers. You were embarrassed because your parents only had a cleaning service that came in once a week.”

“Are you serious? I grew up having to do everything from the yard work to the house cleaning.”

“Yes, you made us aware of that in 1987. Placeholder Paul resulted from Adam and Gloria overindulging you. I had a firm talk with both of them and suggested they move back home so I could have a hand in raising you. So, when the position of Director of Emergency Medicine opened up at the hospital this summer, your father decided to take the job and move back home in the hopes that you would become a bit more humble. Of course, the Cullens moved back to town about a week after you did. Because you lived in Forks and were closer to them distance-wise, you became the first to phase,” Gene said.

“Dang it. Who was next?”

“So far, just Jacob, but we’re going to have to fake that one. His parents don’t even know he has phased yet because he phased last week in 1987,” Ephraim replied.

“Phew! That should make things easier.”

“Not exactly, Jared Cameron’s phasing is imminent, and either Seth or Quil will be next. All three of them think you’re an arrogant bastard.”

“Well, no wonder! What the hell were my parents thinking by raising a jerk like the one you described?”

“I don’t know, Paul, but things are fine now that you’re here.”

“What happened to Paul’s grandmother? I mean his other grandmother, the one who was wrongly jailed?” Bella asked.

“Ah, you mean Gloria’s mother. It took about three months for Paulette to be exonerated of all charges. The tribe hired a new attorney for her and she was released from jail after it was discovered that she killed Michael Clearwater in defense of her daughter. Gloria’s father died in prison the same day of your school dance in very strange circumstances. He was found in the prison laundry room, drained of all his blood, by a repairman and repairwoman who had come in to fix one of the dryers.”

“Gee whiz. How did the vampire get in there?”

“Oh, we have no idea, but we’re not going to sweat it. Any man who attempts to trade his daughter for drugs deserves to die a harrowing death. I like to think that the vampire did a good deed.”

“Is Paulette still alive?” Paul asked.

“Absolutely, and you are her favorite grandson.”

“I am. How come she wasn’t there today at the Swans?”

“It was a welcoming party for the Swans, that’s why.”

“Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting because I only just arrived here.”

“It’s understandable. Now, back to your grandmother. She fell in love with her attorney, a Makah man named Phil Young. They were married as soon as she was released from prison with a full pardon. He was in awe of the fact that your grandmother was so protective of her children that she killed for them. After Paulette married Phil, she moved to the Makah Reservation. He became an excellent father to both Gloria and her sister Jasmine, paying for both their college educations and encouraging them to succeed. They also have one daughter together named Emily.”

“Wait a minute! She’s not Sam’s Emily Young is she?”

“We assume she would have been. Your Aunt Emily keeps you supplied with a constant stream of muffins. She’s a nurse at Forks General. She’s only a few years older than you are, so she’s more like your cousin.”

“What about his Aunt Jasmine? What happened to her?” Bella asked.

“Paul’s Aunt Jasmine is the same woman you just met at the party, called Aunty J. She is your Uncle Quil’s wife, and Quil’s mother, which makes Quil and Paul first cousins.”

“Quil is my first cousin?”

“Yes, most definitely. You are related to Quil on his mother’s side while Bella is related to him on his father’s side.”

“Is that the same mother who Quil had in our last world because if she was, she would be a horrible woman for not taking in Paul!” Bella raged.

“Calm your temper, honey,” Jake soothed, rubbing her back. “Quil’s mom was a different woman in our last world. Her name was Joy. You’ve met her a few times at the tribal store. She was really nice.”

“Yeah, she was really nice. Whenever I went to the tribal store, she’d always pack a few extra items in my grocery bag because she knew that things were bad at home for me,” Paul pointed out.

“Joy Quehpa?” Aunt Molly asked, curiously.

“Yep, that was her maiden name,” Jacob informed them.

“Interesting. Joy Quehpa and your Uncle Quil were prom dates during high school. They broke up because he went away to college and she didn’t want him to leave. It was actually Charlie who advised him to break up with her and follow his dreams. Our son had wanted to be a doctor since he was seven years old. He told Quil that relationships required compromise, and if she wasn’t able to do that, she was the wrong girl for him. So, they called off their relationship and she eventually married a man from Forks named Ken Marshall. They have a few kids including a daughter who is still at Forks High named Katie. Quil, of course, went off to the University of Arizona with Charlie and Adam.”

“And it’s a good thing, too, otherwise Quil’s father would have died in a drunk driving accident,” Jake pointed out. “Old Quil and Joy singlehandedly raised him.”

Everyone seemed surprised at that information. “Do you mean my son was not living in your world?” Old Quil asked.

“Yes, my buddy Quil never knew his father. He had one too many drinks, got behind the wheel of a car, and died. My mom died in a car accident, too. My dad was behind the wheel of the car. I suspect he was drunk or stoned. Bella and Paul’s grandfathers also died young, but I think they died from broken hearts.”

“I believe you’re correct. I wouldn’t have been able to survive without my Helen.” Geoff smiled fondly at his granddaughter. “Bella, it’s important to remember that you have a very special relationship with your Aunt Jasmine. She loves whisking you off on shopping trips and spoiling you rotten. She was excited about you finally moving to the area.”

“But I hate shopping! What am I going to do?”

“Pretend to love it. I can tell you that your Aunt Molly and your Grandma Helen have been waiting to take you clothes shopping.”

Bella pouted, and then decided to change the subject. “Did you say my dad went to the University of Arizona with Paul’s dad and Quil’s dad?”

“Yes, for their undergraduate work. It was funny. After the three of you showed up in 1987, they thought that Arizona was where all the cool kids lived. They went their separate ways for medical school, though. Charlie stayed at the University of Arizona, Adam went to the University of Washington, and Quil went all the way to the University of Vermont.”

“Wait a second, is Uncle Quil a doctor, too?”

“Yes, he runs the tribal clinic. It was his goal from the very beginning,” Old Quil pointed out. “Adam and Charlie went to medical school because they couldn’t think of anything better to do.”

“That’s awesome!” Jake exclaimed. “It means we have a full-time doctor on staff at the tribal clinic.”

“And Jacob, your father ended up attending tech school after his stint in rehab. He owns a chain of auto repair shops in the Olympic Peninsula so he didn’t do too shabby himself. He also runs the tribal gym with Harry Clearwater and Josh Uley,” Geoff explained.

“Wait a second. We have a tribal gym?”

“Oh, yes, after your visit in 1987, we made health our number one priority,” Levi Uley stated. “We realized how important living a healthy lifestyle is. So, we brought in health educators and built a tribal gym, which can be used, free of charge, by any member of the Quileute Nation.”

“Hey, that’s awesome,” Jacob said. “So, my father is controlling his diabetes on his own now?”

“No, after drug rehab, he straightened out his life completely. He never developed Type 2 Diabetes. In fact, he’s known to be a bit of a health nut.”

“A bit? The boy is an outright maniac and so is his wife!” Ephraim Black exclaimed.

“That would explain the tofu scramble and veggie patties I was subjected to this morning.” Jacob sighed, thinking about his awful breakfast.

“Is there more about me that I need to know?” Paul asked.

“No, I think that’s the pertinent information. We’ll cover more as time goes by. I think all of us with licenses are going to have to take shifts teaching you how to drive because that could potentially blow our cover.”

“I think Jake should teach him. He taught me how to ride a motorcycle and drive a stick shift. He’s a really good teacher,” Bella explained.

“I can teach you, buddy.”

“Thanks, Jake.”

“Oh, one more thing, Paul,” his grandmother said. “You have a girlfriend that you left behind in Medina-a pretty-ish, blonde, spoiled little thing named Emma. I don’t like her. You might want to break up with her, considering you’ve imprinted. Thank Taha Aki for that!”

Bella glared at him, then smacked his arm several times.

“I don’t even know who she is!” he protested.

His grandmother smiled indulgently at Bella. “I like your new girlfriend so much better-even if she is an exhibitionist.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “I am not an exhibitionist.”

“Well, then what was that display earlier today?”

“Honestly, it was all Paul’s idea.”

“My idea? You’re the one who said we should celebrate so we celebrated!”

“Excuse me, I’ll have you know that I was a virgin until last night! How was I to know what your idea of celebration was?” She turned her head. “Stop cocking your rifle at my boyfriend, Uncle Quil! And that’s another thing-how am I supposed to differentiate between this Uncle Quil and the other Uncle Quil?”

“You call me Old Uncle Quil and my son Uncle Quil.”

“Thank you for clarifying that.”

“Maybe now is a good time for you to tell Bella and me what changes we’re likely to expect because today, when I walked up to say hi to Quil, he told me to get lost and called me a freak. He was one of my best friends when I last left this time period. Also, what happened to Embry Call? I stopped by at his house to visit him today, but found the Clearwaters living there instead. Seth Clearwater told me to get off of his doorstep before someone saw me there and assumed we were friends.”

“Jake, you saw Embry today,” Bella said.

“I did?”

“Yes, he was the scrawny kid who hit on me-only he’s no longer Embry Call, he’s Embry Newton now.”

“Embry hit on you?” Paul cracked his knuckles. “He’s spoiling for a fight.”

“Paul, he’s like thirteen, he’s shorter than I am, and his voice cracks because he’s going through puberty.”

“I don’t get it.”

Ephraim Black stepped in to explain, “Embry Call as you knew him was not supposed to exist. Bella fixed that when she forced Tiffany Call to confront Josh Uley. The relationship ended without the couple consummating it; therefore, the unplanned pregnancy never happened. Instead, Tiffany married Mark Newton and they named their second son Embry.”

“Aw, man! He was one of my best friends!” Jake cried.

“Hey, I thought I was your best friend!” Paul protested.

“You are now. I’m talking about before.”

“Things are the way they are supposed to be,” Ephraim assured.

“What happened to my father?”

“Ah, first of all, you should know that the offenses committed by Billy, Harry, and Josh had grave consequences. The three of them will no longer be given the honor of becoming elders. Let me explain something to you. In 1987, when you visited us, there were four elders-the three of us plus the newly minted Harry Clearwater. He inherited the elder position at too young of an age after his father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Keep in mind that this occurred roughly a month after Michael Clearwater was killed. Harry was young, arrogant, and abused his power terribly. After he was caught doing drugs by you kids, we used our collective power to impeach him from his position and dissolved the Clearwater elder line. With Michael Clearwater’s drug dealing and his attempt to sexually assault Gloria Silverwolf combined with Harry’s abuse of his power, there were just one too many blemishes on the Clearwater line. The Camerons were given that honor in their stead. They have been very kind, just, and unbiased-everything an elder should be. Joe Cameron recently became an elder after his father’s passing.”

“Do you mean Mr. Cameron as in Jared’s father?” Jacob asked.

“Yes. We decided on that particular line after you told us of Joe’s kindness to Paul when he was in need. And it was an excellent decision, too, because the Camerons have been fair, just, and kind-never once abusing their position.” Ephraim smiled warmly at Paul and Jacob before continuing. “My position will go to my grandson Jacob, of course. I made the decision after your visit in 1987, and after your grandfather-my son Billy Senior, told me in no uncertain terms that he did not want the elder position when I passed. He, of course, passed away many years ago and Billy Junior had the privilege rescinded from him. You will not become tribal chief, though. That mantle will be passed onto Gene who will take Levi’s place as elder and my place as chief.”

“Wait a second, if my grandfather is going to become an elder, does that mean that eventually I’ll become an elder as well?” Paul asked.

“Eventually, the chiefdom will go to your grandfather, then your father, and finally to you. The only line, which has remained intact, is the Ateara line. That line will continue through its natural successions as tribal elder and shaman. Now, you were asking about Billy, Harry, and Josh. Following their arrests, their subsequent drug rehabilitation was extremely successful. It took almost a full year of them being in-patients to see results, though. Josh Uley is still married to Allison and he now runs a contracting business. His son Sam married his high school sweetheart Leah Clearwater and they live in South Carolina. He never phased because of the distance. The Uleys also have a daughter named Brittany who is still in high school. Harry Clearwater is married to Sue Uley and owns a fleet of fishing boats. Seth Clearwater is a senior and best friends with Quil and Jared.”

“What?” Paul questioned. “How the heck did Seth Clearwater become older than us? And how did Bella and I become juniors? We were seniors when we left?”

“Ah, that’s a little more complicated. I explained earlier about the ancient chant that I performed, and about how you were brought to us from the future back to 1987 to help us. You prevented the senseless deaths of two mighty elders and three beloved mothers. Our reality was able to continue as a result of your assistance; however, for the spirits to be able to send the three of you back to us, you had to live the reality we would have had, had I not invoked the spirits for help.”

“So, we had to have miserable childhoods in order to help you?”

“Your difficult childhoods are what formed and shaped each of you. Each of you knew love from a parent or grandparent, but you each had it stripped away at a young age. You saw the damaging effects of alcoholism, depression, and indolence and were astute enough to know that it was selfish and wrong of your parents to be the way they were. Believe me when I say that most teens can only think about themselves.”

“You could have always sent Sam or Jared back.”

“First of all, we didn’t choose who to send back. That choice was made by the spirits,” Levi Uley explained. “Paul, from what I read in your mind, it would have been impossible to send Samuel. He was much too selfish to be sent back. While he trained a group of wolves from scratch, it was only because it was his duty. He was much too consumed with how miserable his childhood had been, how he hated being a wolf, and how he wanted Leah instead of Emily to be able to think of anyone or anything else. As an alpha, he did the bare minimum. He did not even protect Bella from getting involved with the Cullens, which should have been his first priority. Instead, once she became involved with them, he gave you an alpha order not to have any contact with her, which I suspect would have eventually led to her turning into a vampire herself. So, no, Sam would have been a very poor choice for the spirits to send back. As for Jared Cameron, he was too far removed from the situation, and his family life has been too idyllic for him to be able to help out. He would not have been able to handle the rigors of traveling back in time. The three of you were the only ones who were strong enough to handle the changes. That’s why the spirits sent the three of you to us.”

“But you still haven’t explained why we’re juniors?”

“That’s easy. You’re juniors because this is when you were all brought back together again. Before that, Paul and Bella lived elsewhere. It was only now that your parents decided to move back to the area. Remember that this is your new reality.”

“What happens to our world as we knew it?” Bella asked wisely.

“That world just dissipates once the task is complete as do placeholder Bella, Jake, and Paul. This is finally reality as it should be.”

“What were placeholder Bella and Jake like?”

Ephraim answered that question. “Jacob, many teens on the reservation think you’re a bit of a fanatic because you and your parents are… how do I explain this? You and your parents are vegans and fanatic recyclers who don’t believe in hunting or fishing. You are staunch conservationists who are concerned about the effects of everything on the environment. You’re all activists of sorts.”

“They’re tree huggers?” Bella asked and started cackling.

“How the hell can I be a tree hugger? We were so poor I used to have to hunt for venison so we could have protein. Fortunately, Dad brought home fish. Bella can tell you. She used to go hunting with me.”

When everyone stared at her with disbelieving expressions, she responded with, “Sure, I had nothing better to do. Besides, I’ve always had better aim than Jake.”

“At least you have aim. I don’t even know how to fire a rifle because my father never taught me.”

“We’ll have to change that, Paul,” Gene said. “You can’t live in this area and not know how to hunt-unless, of course, you’re Jacob. He was kept carefully away from all firearms since he was born. Bella, I’m surprised you know how to fire a rifle.”

“Oh, well, this is going to sound ironic, but Billy was the one who initially taught me how to shoot. Whenever I’d visit my dad, he’d bring me to the Blacks while he was working. Billy had a little bulls-eye set up behind his house and he would teach Jake and me how to shoot.”

“Yep, and when Bella and I started hanging out together again. She came hunting with me because she had nothing better to do,” Jake said. “And, here’s something else you didn’t know about Bella. She’s super sweet. She’d always buy meat and chicken in bulk at Costco, divvy it up into freezer bags, and throw it into our freezer when she thought I wasn’t looking.”

“Darn it. I thought you didn’t know,” Bella commented.

“You did that for my grandson and my great-grandson?” Ephraim Black asked.

“It was nothing. My dad always gave me a ton of cash for groceries every week anyway.”

“Don’t try to dismiss what you did as nothing, little girl. It was pure kindness.”

Bella shrugged her shoulders. She hated being praised. “Maybe, I don’t know. With Billy’s diabetes, Jake was really concentrating on preparing healthy foods and I just wanted to help.”

“You are a sweet, caring young lady,” Levi Uley complimented, then added, “Even though you’re an exhibitionist.”

Bella did some quick thinking and changed the subject. “I have an idea, Jake. Once your parents are notified you’ve phased, you can tell them that becoming a wolf has sapped much of your energy and you realize that you need meat and fish in order to survive. That should take care of the vegan part.”

“I don’t know, Bells. My parents seem really fanatic. I got all excited because my dad said we were having burgers for lunch. It turned out to be at some vegan cafe in Sequim and the burgers were made out squash, nuts, avocado, and sauerkraut. At least the sweet potato fries were good.”

“Well, then, you’ll just have to visit me a lot,” Paul said. “My parents eat normal food.”

“And you’ll just have to learn how to become a fanatic recycler. Fortunately, I can teach you how. That’s my forté.”

“Cool.I still like working on cars, right?” Jake asked.

“Yes, that essential part of you has never changed. Oh, and your dream is to become an aerospace engineer for NASA.”

“Cool! It’s the same dream I’ve always had.”

“Your goal is to create rocket fuel, out of recycled cooking oil.”

“Um… that is definitely not my goal! Gee whiz! The old me was so weird!” Jacob sighed. “I do have a question, though. How come Bella and Paul are in the same grade as me? They should be a year older.”

“You’re a junior because your mother managed to enroll you in kindergarten when you were four years and nine months by fudging with the year of birth on the registration form. By the time the school system figured out you were too young for your grade, you were already in second grade and at the top of your class so they just kept you where you were,” Ephraim explained.

“So, I was born when I was supposed to be?”

“Yes, there is no change in your birthdates. The reason why Quil and Seth were born in different years from the reality you know is for the same reason why Embry Call is now Embry Newton. Their realities changed. Everyone is who they should be and was born when they should be in truth now. Oh, and you should know that while Quil detests his cousin Paul, he is extremely protective of Isabella. The two of you are extremely close. He and his family have visited you in Arizona and vice versa.”

“He seemed overprotective today. I thought he was going to knock out Tyler Crowley for just introducing himself to me. It’s going to take some getting used to because in our old reality, Quil kept hitting on me.” Bella shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, what am I like?”

“Hmm… out of the three of you, you have the least amount of change to contend with. Your personality is, for the most part, the same,” Aunt Molly said.

“What do you mean by ‘for the most part’?”

“Well, you were a bit… flakier. You were more concerned with boys, cheerleading, hair, makeup, and shopping than you were with serious life events.”

“I sound like a nightmare.”

“Not really. You truly were a sweet girl with no real troubles in the world until that Nick boy dumped you for Sophia. You described that as a tragedy of the most epic proportions equal only to the breakup of Damon and Elena in the Vampire Diaries.”

“I can see myself saying that. When it happened, I really was devastated-I mean by Damon and Elena breaking up. They were so perfect together.”

“Yeah, and Bella has always been overly-dramatic about breakups. Think about how she was after Cullen dumped her,” Jacob reminded everyone.

“Let’s see what else I can tell you. Oh, yes, your father is a successful orthopedic surgeon and your mother is an elementary school teacher-as you’re already aware. Your parents are extremely well off, but not as flashy as Paul’s parents, who tend to like bling.”

“Please don’t say bling,” Bella told her great aunt.

“Why not?”

“Because it doesn’t sound right coming from you! Bling is like a teen word.”

“Bling, bling, bling, blingity bling!” Aunt Molly repeated just to annoy Bella before going on with her description of Placeholder Bella. “You were very grounded in your upbringing, and unlike Paul, you went and found a part time job on your own, but not to save for an apartment-it was to buy clothes and makeup. You worked at American Eagle because, not only did you earn money, you got a 40% employee discount. Oh, and your favorite store is Sephora.”

“Well, at least that hasn’t changed. I like Sephora. Speaking of which, I couldn’t find my favorite conditioner in my suitcase. Can you drive me there, Grandma? Apparently, I no longer have a vehicle.” Bella had always had a strange obsession with her hair. Perhaps it had something to do with being the granddaughter and niece of hairstylists.

“I’ll gladly take you there, but you won’t be buying conditioner, honey,” her grandmother informed her. “You use Swan Pro Beauty Products exclusively. We are the leading manufacturers of professional beauty and hair care products in the world. We revolutionized the beauty industry by promoting healthy hair and skin. In fact, we were the first to come out with products to counter the effects of damage caused by heat-styling tools. We also came out with dry shampoo, as well as other products that women can no longer live without. We also warned the world about the dangers of UV Rays, and we have a line of makeup products with a high SPF content so women don’t have to worry about using sunscreen underneath their makeup. Of course, we also manufacture high quality sunscreen sold only at exclusive stores.”

“Don’t forget about how we invented tourmaline heat styling tools to minimize hair damage.”

“Wait a second! I told you about all those things!” She recalled how her grandmother and great aunt took notes in the cabin. They wanted to know all about hair care in the future. They also asked her questions in the mall about the future.

“Well, of course you did, you didn’t think we were taking notes for fun, did you? This was all done for the benefit of our grandchildren.”

“Anyway, we’ve been branching out into makeup. Our BellaPop line has been extremely successful so we’ll be adding onto that line. In fact, the eye shadow palette is the number one seller in the US, UK, France, Italy, and Japan for this year.”

“You’re that big?”

“Oh, yes. We’re international.”

“I’m not so sure if I can handle all of these changes.”

“Oh, you will. This is a family business so you really have no choice, but to handle it. You’ll be learning the ins and outs of the business. In fact, your grandfather and Old Uncle Quil had to quit their jobs to help out when our business grew to unmanageable levels. Before that, Aunt Molly and I ran it. It was after we hired Glenda to be our artistic director that the company exploded in popularity. She is a creative and artistic genius, and she has a good eye for color. She is now one of our CEO’s, but she still coaches drama at Forks High School.”

“Bella, pumpkin, the most important thing that Swan Pro Beauty Products has done is to provide employment for hundreds, if not, thousands of area residents who would otherwise be unemployed due to the decline of the timber industry. We need to thank Jacob for informing us of that tidbit. We are the number one employer in the area. We chose to keep our factory and labs local, in order to keep the neighborhood thriving,” her grandfather explained.

“Remember, young lady, this is the life you were meant to have,” Quil the Wolf reminded her. “All of you are leading the lives you were meant to have.”

Bella let the new information sink in. She glanced around at everyone’s countenances, and realized they all looked healthy and happy-even Paul and Jake, though confused, looked content. She decided just to go with the flow because there really was nothing else for her to do.