Twilight Musical

Chapter One: Aunt Christa

"Albuquerque?" Edward rang, startled. "And what in the world is in Albuquerque?"

"My aunt. I kind of just realized she's a vampire," I replied to him.

"What?"

I looked back on what was only hours ago when I made my startling discovery.

I was sitting in a hotel room with Alice and Jasper in Phoenix, still hiding from James, when I randomly started thinking about my family. I remembered Uncle Jim with his obsession over boats, some of my cousins, Lily, Sadie, and Tom, whom I never exactly got along with, and Aunt Christa.

I remembered how she would visit very rarely, saying she had a disease, I can't remember what, but did visit my mom and I every few years. I remember how pale she looked, and how worried my mother had been about her health. Her strange orange eyes, which were a result of her disease. The way she never ate anything, and how she seemed in pain when she was really close to me or my mother. And especially how she was extremely beautiful, and I remember wishing that I had a gene that made me as beautiful as her, but it just wasn't triggered yet.

Pale skin, orange eyes that may be the result of brown contacts over red eyes, didn't eat, in pain around humans, extraordinarily beautiful, I had listed in my head. Why did that sound so familiar?

Oh. Vampire.

I repeated the whole story to Edward, who I was talking to on the phone.

"Vampire? Really? But how would that help? We already have one after you, now why do we need another?" Edward demanded.

"Well, I thought, eight is better than seven, and she does have self control. She would celebrate Christmas with us sometimes." I smiled at the memories.

"Are you sure she's completely under control? And I have to admit, Albuquerque is a good idea, since the tracker wouldn't think that we would leave Phoenix just to go somewhere close and just as sunny. You know what? Call your aunt, that actually is a brilliant idea."

"Are you surprised? I mean, Phoenix was my idea, too."

"Yes, it was."

"Ok, well, I'll call her. I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too," Edward replied back, and my heartbeat sped up at his words.

"Bye, I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Bella."

I hung up the phone, and dialed my aunt's number. I was surprised I remembered it, considering how rarely I used it. My aunt answered on the first ring.

"Hello?" Aunt Christa asked, in her sing-song voice.

"Aunt Christa? It's me, Bella." I just now realized I had no idea what I would say to her.

"Bella?" she asked, surprised and taken aback. "Why are you calling, is everything all right at home?" She sounded worried.

"Well, actually, no."

"Why not? What's wrong? You can tell me anything," she assured.

"Um, I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm sort of on the run. Can I stay at your house for a while?"

"What are you on the run from? Bella, is someone stalking you? Does Renée know about this?" Aunt Christa asked, clearly concerned.

"Well, not exactly. Can I please just stay at your house for a while?"

"Ok, I guess, but you have to explain everything once you get here."

"Oh, thanks Aunt Christa!"

"Don't mention it. So do you want me to pick you up at the airport?" I glanced toward Alice across the room, and she nodded.

"Alright, that'll work. The plane lands at three," I said, reading off of the piece of paper Alice was writing on. "Terminal two."

"See you there, bye Bella."

"Bye." I hung up the phone. Alice was already telling Edward on another phone that everything was set. I began repacking my bag, wondering what is going to happen at the airport, where I will meet my vampire aunt.

2:59 p.m. Albuquerque International Sunport

The plane was near the end of its steady descend to Albuquerque International sunport. Naturally, Alice was right, we touched down at exactly three o'clock.

We landed and I stumbled out of the plane, literally. Alice and Jasper had decided to keep some distance, since I never mentioned arriving with any friends, and they would be a dead give away if they stood too near me, with Aunt Christa's acute vampire senses. So I was alone, trying my best to walk without tripping, though not succeeding in the least. I exited the door and found myself in a small crowd. I had about half a second to panic, and then Aunt Christa broke through the clump of people.

She looked exactly as I remembered her, her straight face and long, gentle waves of dark hair, and those strange orange eyes. She had the same pale, pale skin, the same stunning figure. She looked like she was twenty-seven, not forty-seven.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, "It's nice to see you again. you've grown up quite a bit, eh?" I noticed how she kept a careful distance away from me. "we'd better go get your bags. Come on!" She grabbed my hand, hers, I noticed, was ice cold (surprise, surprise), and quickly weaved through the crowd quickly, so quickly she was dragging me behind.

We grabbed my bags off of the conveyor belt in the baggage claim area and headed out to Aunt Christa's car, a shiny black sadan with dark tinted windows. the whole ride she kept up a nearly one-sided conversation, she would ask me a question, I would answer in five words or less, and she would comment on it and drone on about whatever topic she had brought up. During this, i wondered idlly how I would tell her I knew about her secret. And why she was asking all of these trivial questions.

We soon arrived at Aunt Christa's house. As soon as the car stopped, she was out of her seat and grabbing my bags out of the trunk and at her front door sooner than I thought was possible. She quickly unlocked it, and was inside before I could even open the car door. Which was sort of to be expected. After all, she is a vampire.

When I finally got inside the house (it took me a while, I had to be careful about walking up an uneven-stoned pathway), my bags were all put away, and Aunt Christa was gazing expectantly at me. "Well, I think you promised me an explanation."

I pursed my lips, thinking. I obviously hadn't thought this plan through. i had no idea how to let my aunt know that I knew about her being a supernatural being. Oh well, here goes nothing, I thought as I plucked the first words I could think of from my brain, figuring it wouldn't matter how I worded it.

"Well, I'm kind of on the run," I began. She frowned deeply.

"From what? A stalker? Home? The police? Your boyfriend? What happened, baby?" She was clearly concerned, and looked like she would actually listen to my words with interest. Great, that means she probably won't look over a single detail.

"Actually," I started, completely unsure if I was choosing the right words or if I was just saying things making me sound crazy. I figured a mixture of both, so I continued. "I'm kind of on the run from a psychotic vampire who is out to kill me because I smell so appitizing and came here 'cause I was looking for somewhere safe because you're a vampire and my aunt, so you're strong and do care for me." I said all of the words in a rush, trying to make them flow as quickly as possible from my mouth. Not fast enough, it appeared, because Aunt Christa's expression turned to total surprise and shock, then to a carefully constructed look of confusion and bewilderment.

"What? You must be exhausted, honey. Spewing out that nonsense so quickly. Vampires? Really, Bella," she said too innocently.

"No, I'm fine, I know I'm right. Because my boyfriend and the rest of his adopted family are vampires, and you fit the description for a vampire. You know, extra-pale skin, beauty, never aging, red eyes, at least that's the color I think yours are, since I can't exactly tell because of those brown contacts you wear, which, by the way, only make your eyes look orange, you never eat around me...." I knew I was rambling on, a lot more than strictly necessary, but I honestly couldn't stop. Maybe exhaustion actually was a part of it.

"Bella," Aunt Christa said wearily. I could tell she had surrendered. "Ok, I admit it, you're dead on. but please tell me that you having a vampire boyfriend was just a bluff. Please," she begged. I couldn't quite understand why, though.

"Uh, why?"

"Vampires are not people you should be hanging around with. Especially you, I'm sorry, but you do smell extra delicious. Why do you think I tried my best to weasel out of spending holidays at your house?" now that she said that, I remembered Renée complaining how her sister would always try her hardest to get out of celebrating Christmas at our house. Renée thought for while she had done something to upset her older sister, but after a while Aunt Christa gave up and came over, always staying a careful distance from mom and me, especially.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I was telling you the truth. I've been going out with Edward for a while now." My response made her unhappy and worried. It was plain on her face. Oh well, she wanted the truth, didn't she?

"Bella, please don't. I don't mean to scare you or anything, but you never know if you're going to become his next meal."

"Even though that is possible, Edward has more self-control than that. how do you think I'm still here today? And he doesn't even hunt humans, none of the Cullens do." I smiled at that, remembering how good the Cullens try to be.

"What? how could they possibly manage anything like that? I've tried going long periods without hunting, and let's just say it wasn't pretty. how do they manage?" There was pure wonder in her her tone and burning in her orange eyes.

"Well, they just go after animals instead of people. Edward says it's not as satisfying as human blood, but it's better than being a monster." I yawned. "So, where's the room I'm staying in? I'm tired."

"Right up the stairs to the left,"Aunt Christa answered automatically.

I suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Aunt Christa, can I borrow your phone really quick?"

"Sure." She pointed to a cordless phone sitting on the coffee table. She seemed out of it, and I guessed that was due to her trying to figure out the Cullen philosophy.

I picked up the phone and dialed Alice's number. She answered not even a second after the first ring began. "About time. What took you so long?"

"I was chatting with my aunt. You should know, you're the psychic."

"Well, that doesn't really matter now. Did you tell your aunt everything?" Alice asked.

"Yes, everything's taken care of." I smiled at my true words. I had actually told my aunt what I needed to, and it was a lot easier than I had thought. Maybe there's hope in me after all.

"Ok,you're going to be there a while, so see if she'll sign you up for East High. Which she will. And we'll be coming down there tomorrow. You might want to tell her about that, too."

It took me a moment to process her words. "What? You're all coming here? But what about the sun? James? Charlie?" Shocked didn't cover how I felt.

"Relax, Bella. Esme and Carlisle are staying in Forks for a while to protect Charlie. But the rest of us are coming to Albuquerque. James and Victoria have disappeared, so we're just going to be hanging around New Mexico until we get a lead. Don't worry, Bella, everything's taken care of. And you'll see Edward again tomorrow at 10:47 a.m." My heart soared at Alice's words. "But," she continued, "you might want to warn your aunt.

"Alright, I'll give her the news. Bye, Alice."

"Bye, Bella, see you soon. And please try to get some sleep. You're going to be in a grouchy mood tomorrow."

"Fine, see you." And I hung up. I turned and saw my aunt staring at me. "I have to tell you something, but I'm tired. Can you just remind me in the morning?" I asked. She nodded, and I went upstairs. I crawled into the bed fully clothed, and fell asleep.