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TWO; GOOD EVENING, BELLA SWAN
AFTER A MARVELOUS BREAKFAST, Alex found himself at a local diner with colored contacts shoved into his eyes. He blinked frequently, annoyed by the discomfort in his orbs. A waitress came over, smiling shyly at him, clearly attracted to the vampire.
"Hi, I'm Wendy. What can I get for you?"
Alex smiled charmingly. If he hadn't just eaten breakfast, Wendy would've made an incredible appetizer to his lunch. "You know, I think I'm good today, Wendy. You don't mind if I just sit here for a while, do you?"
She blushed. It was against restaurant policy to let a customer sit without buying something, but Wendy had to make an exception for him. She nodded politely, drifting away from him. When she thought Alex wasn't looking, she would gaze at him fondly.
It wasn't until late in the afternoon that Chief Swan and Bella walked in. Every time Wendy would get suspicious as to why Alex hadn't left yet, he would wipe her memory clear of his presence. Unfortunately, he had to experience her being bashful all over again.
Alex thought Bella was completely ordinary. Beautiful, of course. There was no denying that Bella was gorgeous, even though none of her features prominently stood out. Her features as a whole intrigued Alex, and his lips turned upwards at the sight of her. The first thing he truly noticed about the girl was that she smelled divine. It was like Alex was a newborn vampire again. He suddenly wanted nothing but the taste of Bella's blood.
A different waitress greeted them as Wendy stood behind the counter, ogling at Alex. Bella smiled politely, even though it never reached her eyes. Alex grinned to himself — Victoria really underestimated how much he was going to enjoy this. He did always enjoy teasing himself, so he contemplated holding himself off from killing Bella and the whole diner right away.
Alex wiped the waitress' mind, and added into her thoughts that he was the new waiter-in-training. He grabbed the pen and paper from her hands as he walked over to Bella's table, boxy grin wide.
"Welcome. I'm Alex, and I'll be your waiter for today."
Chief Swan was surprised by his presence. "Oh, hey. Are you new?"
"Waiter-in-training," Alex explained. He wiped Charlie's memory of being greeted by the waitress. "Can I get you started with some drinks?"
Bella was taken aback. Her usual dinners with Charlie always consisted of the same routine, but she felt surprised by this new man's appearance. Gorgeous wasn't the correct term to describe him, but that was the only word that came into Bella's mind. It was the first time that Edward had not completely filled every crevice of her brain, and she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"We'll just have two waters, please," Charlie requested politely.
Alex nodded, pretending to write it down. "Great. I'll be back when you're ready."
His eyes lingered on Bella, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. He grinned, and the breath was easily knocked out of her.
Yeah, this was going to be very easy and extremely fun for him.
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Alex hated physical labor unless it led him into the warm embrace of sweet blood. Working at the diner was absolute torture, but luckily for him, he was able to wipe people's minds and convince them that he didn't have to do anything around the murky old place.
He knew he had Bella wrapped around his finger. She had returned to the diner every evening, sometimes without her dad.
"She's never been here this often," Wendy remarked one day. That was when Alex knew that Bella Swan was wholeheartedly his.
"You ready, beautiful?" Alex spoke, eyes boring into Bella's.
Usually, such phrases would make her cringe or groan, but the statement sounded so tempting coming from his mouth that Bella simply blushed. Alex noted how cute she was, chuckling softly to himself. He could see why Edward became so captivated by her.
Alex had encountered the broody vampire during his brief stay with the Cullen family, but they came across some difficulties — mainly deriving from the fact that Alex despised Edward when he would peer into his mind without permission, and Edward hated it when Alex would plant nonsense into his train of thought. Otherwise, Alex believed Edward never deserved to become a vampire and live for as long as he has. Alex loved his life, and Edward never appreciated the joy and beauty that came along with being a vampire.
"Can I just have my usual?" Bella asked, snapping Alex back into the present.
He grinned, his natural charisma returning. "Of course. You know, you come here so often I'm starting to wonder if you've taken an interest in someone here."
Bella's face flushed red at his implication. Alex grinned and winked.
"I'll be back with your food soon, beautiful."
Wendy had been staring at their interaction behind the counter, slight jealousy stirring inside of her stomach. "I wonder why Bella is coming here so often," she spoke casually. Alex rolled his eyes, not wanting to deal with this conversation. He wiped her mind again.
His interest peaked, however, when the bell above the door rang, signaling someone was walking inside. Jia appeared in all of her elegant glory, wearing a slim-fitting midnight dress, accompanied with black heels and large sunglasses to shield her eyes.
Alex straightened his back, quickly telling Wendy to handle his shift for him. The girl did not raise any questions on the manner.
Bella observed as Alex walked out of the diner side-by-side with the Chinese woman, her eyes urgent in speaking.
"What are you doing here? I'm on a mission," he informed Jia once they were out of range to a human's ear.
She lifted her sunglasses until they rested on top of her head. "First, you sure are lucky that Forks never basks in the glory of the sun. I dressed for the occasion, too." She pointed at her sunglasses, and Alex rolled his eyes. "Second, how come you haven't finished your mission yet? All you have to do is kill that human girl, right? Wipe her mind clean and get the job done so that you can return home. I am haunted by the fact that I allowed you to crawl back underneath Victoria's thumb."
He narrowed his eyes. "I'm enjoying dragging this ordeal on. Is that such a bad thing?"
She sighed. "You always loved playing with your food. Nevertheless, I understand how this town is playing with your thoughts, Alex. You've been thinking about Rosalie more than normal, haven't you?"
He waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Look, I'll finish the job tonight and return home after I witness the Cullens' reactions to that girl's death."
"Fine," she agreed, moving her sunglasses back down. "I'll see you after. Be careful, and feed with caution. The Cullens may have left but they are still very wary when vampires drink humans near the area."
"I can handle it."
She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled fondly. "I know you can."
She disappeared after her sentiment, and Alex huffed. He returned to the diner, eyeing Bella as she watched him. His signature grin made a reappearance as he strode over to her, sliding into the booth across from her.
Her eyes questioned the bold move.
"Your name is Bella Swan, am I correct?"
The human was confused. "Yes. How did you-"
"I see you stopping by all the time," he answered, the corners of his mouth twisting upwards. "You think I wouldn't ask around for your name? I needed to match the beautiful face."
She squirmed in her seat. Alex leaned forward in his. "You've gotten your heart broken, haven't you? I can tell by the way you're reluctant to speak with me so candidly."
She blinked at him. He admired the delicate nature of her eyelashes.
"I don't really like to talk about it."
He raised an eyebrow, but nodded and leaned back. "Well, if you aren't too troubled by the affair, I would love to take you out tonight."
Bella could not understand what brought on this boy's sudden change of emotion. She was intrigued by him, surely, but it was hard to locate the reason for his interest in her.
He was pulling her in slowly, and during every second of the journey, all she could think about was Edward.
"I don't know."
Alex narrowed his eyes. Had Edward Cullen really affected this human girl that much?
"What's holding you back? Do you believe your former lover will make a reappearance?" He inquired, and Bella grew more uncomfortable by the appearance of the questions. Alex sighed, reminding himself that he had to reign his curiosity back. He couldn't kill Bella in the middle of this diner unless he wanted to murder everyone else as well.
He would not be opposed to it, he just didn't have the patience to deal with all of the struggling bodies tonight.
"Come out with me," he persuaded. Bella was falling deeper into his stare. "Have some fun for once. I can't imagine you enjoy sitting in this diner all day."
Bella contemplated the idea for a moment — after all, Charlie was the one who was worried she was becoming a depressed recluse. He wouldn't mind if she went on a date tonight.
However, if she went out with Alex, it would mean she was over Edward. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready to succumb to that idea just yet.
Alex could identify the internal struggle Bella was facing with herself. He immediately stretched his power into her mind, ready to plant a memory until—
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Alex frowned, trying again. It was as if he was pushing against a solid wall, shielding itself from Alex's powers.
He stood up suddenly, and Bella followed his movements. He was looking down at her with an expression of confusion and frustration. He could not comprehend exactly what had just occurred — was this girl even a human? How could she fight against his power in this way?
Alex felt anger pulsing through his veins after Bella had outsmarted him. There was absolutely no way he would allow this girl to live if she was powerful enough to defend herself from his power.
"Are you alright, Alex?"
"I have to go," he said.
Bella opened her mouth to ask why, but the vampire was already gone.
❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂
"Victoria! Victoria, I need answers!"
"What happened now, Alex?" The blonde turned to face the redhead, her hair as fiery as the passion in her eyes. "Did you kill her?"
"What is she?" He spoke through clenched teeth. He approached her, only leaving an inch of space between them. Victoria internally scoffed. If he was trying to intimidate her, it surely wasn't working. "Why am I blocked off from her mind?"
She sighed. "I can't give you an exact answer — as far as my knowledge stretches, Edward failed to access her mind as well. Her mind seems to be an impenetrable wall, but I can assure you that she is still human."
She observed as Alex took a step back from her, choosing instead to pace around the forest. She raised an eyebrow as she felt the crunch of the leaves beneath her feet.
"Why does this bother you so much? If you can't read her mind, then snap her neck off."
He glared at her. "Are you sure that this blockage is all she is capable of?"
She smirked, folding her arms across her chest. "Is this such a hassle for you because you've never had to deal with conflict before?"
He was practically shooting lasers out of his eyes. "I like playing with my food, but when the game's over, all I want is to wipe their mind clean so that I can eat in peace. You never told me about her abilities."
"It shouldn't matter," Victoria hissed, appalled by Alex's sudden objection. "You should complete the job either way."
"I will, don't you worry," Alex smirked. "But first, I want to see how far I can push her. I won't let her get away with the fact that she can deter my power."
She rolled her eyes. He always tended to have a big ego, and if it was belittled by anything, even something as simple as Bella's closed mind, he would ensure the destruction of the source.
"Fine, I don't care what you do — just have her dead by the end of the month. I want Edward Cullen to feel the pain he put me through."
Alex chuckled drily. "I'm sure you need vengeance for James since he's all you ever cared about. Must be hard to be tossed aside as if you meant nothing."
She gave him a hard look. "Don't, Alex."
He spared her another glance before leaving her in the forest, running back to Forks. He discovered Bella's address after looking through the files inside of the police car, which was still on the side of the road outside Forks, containing the officer that Alex drained.
Once he arrived, he smelled two humans inside of the house. Alex pondered over how long it would take to kill her father before he moved onto Bella.
Before he could take another step, he heard a low growl snarl behind him.
Alex's whole body stiffened. He had overheard tales about the Children of the Moon when he was still a newborn — stories that Victoria would tell him, warnings she would give him before the two leapt into their next journey.
He, however, had never seen a shapeshifter in person.
He was currently staring at the one towering over him, teeth bared. Two other wolves flanked by his side, and Alex reminded himself to keep calm. If he moved one inch, he could be signaling himself as a threat.
He threw his arms up in the air as a form of surrender.
"Woah, woah. Let's not be so extreme, fellas. Or ladies, I don't discriminate against wolves."
His joke earned no applause as each wolf continued to take a step forward. Alex blinked, regretting taking out his colored contacts. He knew that was all these wolves saw — the crimson hue painted in his eyes.
The one on the right of the black wolf jumped out, and Alex stumbled backwards, landing on the ground beneath him.
"I mean no harm!" He exclaimed. For the first time, he was truly terrified. "I promise, I mean no harm to your city."
The black wolf seemed to understand what he was saying, for he stared at the dark silver wolf approaching Alex. The vampire swallowed, becoming more and more worried of approaching his death for a second time.
The black wolf nodded at the brown one on his left, and the creature seemed to understand what he was saying before he darted back into the woods. Alex was confused by the interaction but the dark silver wolf snarled at him, putting him back in his place.
After a few moments, a half-naked teenager came jogging up to them. He had copper skin and cropped black hair, eyes silently judging Alex's weak form on the floor.
"What does a bloodsucker like you think you're doing on our territory?"
"I'm just in town for a girl, I promise," Alex swore, hands still raised in the air as a sign of surrender. "Once I've got her, I'll leave forever. You'll never see my face again."
The black wolf sent the boy a look, and the boy seemed to nod in understanding.
"What girl?"
"Bella Swan."
The black wolf hurled forward at the name, leaning down a few inches from Alex's face. The boy smirked as the black wolf bared its teeth out to the vampire.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us."
i wonder what the pack is gonna do to alex... why do i love writing cliffhangers so much??
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