User blog:Ha-Za/Shayla's Twilight: Chapter 7.

Chapter 7: Since when did vampire liked baseball?

Edward’s POV

Bella and I were in my room. I had told her how I felt about her and how she makes me feel. I was worried that one day I’d say too much and she’ll run away screaming. Bella guessed what I was thinking.

“You are still waiting for the running and screaming, aren’t you?” she asked.

I felt a faint smile touch my lips and I nodded.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but you’re really not as scary as you think you are. I don’t find you scary at all, actually,” Bella said to me, teasing me.

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief and flashed my sparkling teeth at her in a wide, wicked smile.

“You really shouldn’t have said that,” I chuckled at her before emitting a playful growl from my chest. I shifted into a crouch, like I was a lion that about to pounce onto a defenceless lamb.

Bella stepped back, glaring. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I launched myself at her and we crashed into the sofa, my arms held her tight so she was barely jostled. She tried to right herself but I curled her into a ball and held her as tight as I could without hurting her. She looked up at me in alarm but I merely grinned at her.

“You were saying?” I growled playfully at her again.

“That you’re a very, very terrifying monster,” she answered breathlessly, though I detect a hint of sarcasm.

“Much better,” I approved, still grinning.

“Can I get up?” she asked and I laughed in response.

I heard and smelled Alice as she came up the stairs. She paused at the doorway and spoke for Bella’s benefit, “Can we come in?” I could see Jasper at her shoulder and Shayla behind him, looking rather impatient and muddy.

Bella struggled to free herself and but I readjusted her so she was more conventionally sitting on my lap. “Go ahead,” I chuckled.

Alice danced in, finding nothing unusual about our embrace. Jasper paused at the door, his expression one of shock, but Shayla, she simply bounded in and like Alice, finds nothing unusual about us. She turned to check on Jasper and waved a hand at him, beckoning him forward. He shook his head but Shayla sighed impatiently and tugged him in.

“If I can be in here, you can,” she growled, too low for Bella to hear. Jasper growled a response but Shayla jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, signalling him to be quiet.

Alice ignored them both and announced, “It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share.”

Bella stiffened but I grinned. “Sorry, I don’t believe I have enough to share.”

“Oh we can change that,” Shayla answered, her face and thoughts completely serious. I growled at her and she bared her teeth before giving a grin. “Chillax Edward, I would never do that.” I glared at her for being such an idiot and I heard her thoughts response. “I was only playing around Edward.” They were regretful and her eyes flickered for a brief second, the look in them was clearly an apology.

“Actually, “Jasper said, smiling. “Alice says that there’s going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett and Shay wanna play ball. You game?”

I hesitated, should I bring Bella?

“Of course you should bring Bella!” Alice chirped up and Shayla nodded in agreement. I thought I saw Jasper glance at them both.

“Do you want to go?” I asked her, rather excited.

“Sure,” she answered. “Um, where are we going?”

“We’ll have to wait for thunder to play– you’ll see why,” I promised.

“Will I need an umbrella?”

All four of us vampires laughed at her. Bella looked somewhat annoyed but yet again, still slightly amused.

“Will she?” Jasper asked Alice.

“No,” She was completely positive, per usual. “The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing.”

“Sweet as kangaroo blood!” Shayla exclaimed while grinning but it dropped as the rest of us stared at her. “What? Its vampire slang from Australia. I went there for a few months to dig up some info about my old family and I met up with some nomads. Kangaroo blood is very sweet in flavour.”

I rolled my eyes at her insanely weird lingo and turned back to Bella. “Good then,” Jasper said his voice rather enthusiastic.

“Let’s go see if Carlisle will come,” Alice suggested.

“Like you don’t know,” Jasper teased and Shayla snickered. And then they were swiftly on their way.

“What will we be playing?” Bella demanded.

“You will be watching,” I clarified. “We’ll be playing baseball.”

I saw her roll her eyes. “Vampires like baseball?”

“It’s the American pastime.”

--

Shayla’s POV

“Yo Carlisle! Wanna play ball?” I called out to my father as I bounded into his study. The boys, well just Emmett really, had been teasing me about my gait– they said it was like of a kangaroo, always leaping, always bounding around.

He looked up and chuckled just as Alice danced in behind me followed by Jasper. “I guess I can’t say no?”

“Nope!” Alice chirped in from behind me.

“Okay, I’m going to ride there on the bike and go up via the old dirt track,” I said. “I’ll meet you all there.”

Before they could object I am in the garage hopping on my bike while slipping my helmet on. I rev the engine, loud deliberately– I heard Rose growl irritably from upstairs. I gave a small chuckle and I rode out.

Instead of heading down the road, I headed into the woods and find an old trail that is now a dirt bike track. I go over the old jumps, the noise echoing through the woods. I kill time for half an hour and then head to the giant clearing that we used to play baseball, football and other various sports and games in. Surrounded by woods and with a magnificent waterfall nearby, it was truly a beautiful place.

I pulled up at an outcrop of rocks where Carlisle, Rosalie, Esme and Emmett are sitting on. Jasper and Alice are throwing a baseball with their bare hands a few yards away, the ball almost invisible.

“What’s up?” I said as I put the stand on the bike down and took my helmet off, pulling my hair out as I go.

“Nothin’, just waiting for Ed and Bella to get here,” Emmett replied, grinning as he reached up and ruffled my hair. I hate it when he does that.

“Hey, knock it off!” I said as I return it to its normal, neat state. “Rose, hurt him for me.”

“Got it.” Rosalie slapped Emmett in the back of the head. “Behave Emmett.” Though it seemed like Rosalie and I didn’t get along, we did. I just liked to annoy her. But I did love her, truly I did. And I knew that she loved me back.

I chuckled and dodged the punch that Emmett threw at me. Carlisle then darted off to make the bases just as Edward arrived, leading Bella out of the woods. Rosalie rose and stalked off towards the outfield with Emmett looking after her for a long time. I ran out to Jasper and Alice while Esme goes to meet Edward.

“What’s up with Rose?” I murmured as low as I can but she still manages to hear me and shot a glare in my direction. I respond with my own.

Jasper whispers back. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

“Meh, whatever.” I shrugged. It wasn’t my business to know. “Right, Bella’s here. Whose team am I on?”

“You can be on ours Shay-Shay,” he replied. Alice starts to flit over to Edward and Bella. I followed, bounding over.

“Its time,” she said to them. I looked up and a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest before crashing near the town.

“Eerie isn’t it?” Emmett said to Bella.

We all headed into our positions. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and I were on the batting team while Alice, Edward and Carlisle were fielding. Esme was the umpire. Alice was pitching and Jasper catching for the other team. To Bella’s surprise, we didn’t have gloves.

Esme called, “Batter up!” And then Emmett was on the base. Alice was her usually stealthy self and managed to get a strike in but on the second pitch, Emmett smacked the ball with the metal bat, making it sound a lot like thunder, into the outer woods. He would have got a homerun but Edward caught him out. I could hear Esme talking with Bella about the rules of the game and about how we played it. “I keep them honest,” she said.

“She thinks we cheat,” Emmett said to her, his tone clearly stating innocence. But we all knew better. After all, this was Emmett that we were talking about.

“I don’t think you cheat, I know you cheat,” Esme shot back and Bella giggled in response to Emmett’s rather bewildered look. He soon recovered and laughed at himself and Bella. I turned my back to them and my attention back to the game.

Jasper had managed to hit a ground ball towards Carlisle to avoid Edward and then raced to second base, Carlisle shadowing him. My father and brother then smashed together, sounding like boulders smacking together, but Jasper was still safe. I saw Bella jump up in concern after their crash while I gave a laugh she sat down again. “They are tough Bella,” I laughed. “They will be fine.”

“My turn,” I then said as I stepped up to the plate. I admit I was overconfident a bit. I held the bat in one hand and when Alice pitched, I swung it one handed, and hit the ball over Edwards’s head and into the woods. I sprinted around the bases and I smell Edward running back. I was just past the third base when he emerged from the wood, his face discouraged. He saw me and I grinned. I leapt into my ‘hunting run’ aka, on all fours to everyone’s shock. I leapt at the last moment when the ball pelted towards Jasper and crashed onto the base. I moved onto my side and look up at Esme. “So, am I out?”

“Safe,” she said after a moment’s deliberation. I grinned and pulled myself up, while high-fiving my siblings.

We were up by one. Rosalie flitted around the bases thanks to one of Emmett’s long flies before Edward caught them both out, signalling the change over. I jogged out to pitch and we resumed play. Carlisle smacked a magnificent hit; it would’ve almost hurt my ears if I was human, so he and Edward both get home. The score kept changing to my disappointment and we went through several innings.

Carlisle was up to bat and I was the furthest out, between third and second base. And then, a scent in the forest catches my attention. I whipped my head around, nostrils flaring just as Alice gasped. Edward looked up at her and then at me. I twisted my head back and forth until I’m facing the direction where the smell is the strongest.

I ran back to the base where Carlisle is calmly dealing with Alice and Edward. “Can you make it?” he asked Edward.

“No, not carrying –” he cut short. “Besides the last thing we need is them to catch the scent and for them to start hunting.”

“How many?” Emmett and I both asked Alice at the same time.

“Three,” she answered tersely.

Emmett scoffed something about letting them come and I relaxed, but only a little. But I agreed with Emmett. “Yeah, there are eight of us and three of them.”

No one agreed with me. Carlisle deliberated for a second before declaring us to continue with the game as they were only curious.

Esme asked Edward if they were thirsty and fortunately, they weren’t. Esme was relived and so was I. Edward went to referee and sit with Bella while Esme was backstop. We all hovered in the infield and no one dared to hit harder then a bunt. I kept turning to keep catching the scent and to sweep the forest with my sharp eyes. The other kept doing the same.

Then the scent of the other, unfamiliar vampires was strong in the right field. I turned and called out to Carlisle. Everyone ran to him and we swept the forest with our sharp eyes before standing in front of Bella to hide her from view who had since taken her hair down.

“That won’t help; I can smell her from across the field,” Alice said to Edward.

“I know,” he admitted sadly, a hint of frustration in his voice.

I fold my arms and stand protectively in front of Bella as we wait for our ‘visitors’ to enter the clearing as their footfalls become louder and louder.