The Abandoned Sister | Jasper Hale | New Moon | Book Two

Chapter Four: The Party

    It was almost time for the party to begin as Jasper lead Daniella around the house aimlessly talking about things as they go along. When passing by a certain painting hung up on the wall, Daniella stopped and looked at the old 18th century oil painting showing four calm figures dressed in robes.

"That's the closest thing my world has to royalty.." Jasper began, "the artist offten painted the Volturi as Gods." Dani studied one figure more than the others.

"Is..is that Carlisle?" She asked.

"Yes. He was with them for a few decades. Described them as very refined- for killers." Jasper replied, arms wrapped around Daniella's waist as he stood behind her. "The Volturi are what you could call enforcers."

    "Enforcers? Of what?" Daniella asked, intrigued by the story of the Volturi.

"Of the only rule they have: keep the existence of our kind a secret." Jasper told her, "We don't call attention to ourselves, or kill conspicuously, unless we want to die."

    Daniella turns around in Jasper's arms to face him. Her heart beating furiously with terror at the idea.

"Don't-Don't even talk about that. You can not let anyone hurt you. The Volturi or anyone else." Dani spoke her voice stuttering and urgent. Jasper felt that she was worried and held her closer to him.

"Who else could hurt me?" Jasper asked her, his brows furrowed in question.

"You told me there were things more dangerous out there...more dangerous than you. And I know you have at least one enemy out there." Flashes of fire-red hair and burgundy eyes, feral, a vicious grin plastered across her face. "You said she would come back. Get revenge after you killed her..mate?"

"Victoria? Yeah, some day. But Alice will see her decision, and she will not win." Daniella looked up at Jasper with a pained look on her face, not missing the avoidance of the somewhat unasked question, but she let it go..for now.

"I hate that I can't protect you." She admitted. Jasper chuckled in amusement. Dani crossed her arms in offence.

"I was being genuine" Daniella stated. Jasper leaned down and kissed her forehead gently.

"I know you were, but you do protect me. Everyday." He kissed her nose, making her scrunch it up, "From loneliness.." He kisses her cheek, "From myself.." He leaned his forehead against hers as he continued, "You give me a reason to stay.."he paused, "undead. But..it's not your job to protect me, Dani. It's my job to protect you.." Jasper said, kissing Daniella's lips, but stopped as he heard someone coming toward the room they were in, "Well, from everyone but Alice."

    The door swung open as Alice danced her way into the room, happy as ever.

"It's time!" Alice said as she tugged Daniella away from Jasper and toward the stairs before Alice skipped her way down to the first floor. Daniella looked down to see the rest of the Cullen's along with her twin sister waiting at the bottom with decorations, courtesy of Alice, hung up all around the room.

    Daniella would have love to just disappear at that moment, but instead Jasper lead her down the stairs to join the party. Daniella met Esme and Carlisle at the bottom and was greeted with a hug from both of them.

"Sorry about this. We tried to get Alice to keep it casual." Carlisle admitted.

"Like that's ever been possible." Esme replied to  Carlisle, "Happy birthday, Dani." A sudden flash caught Daniella off gaurd as she looked over to Alice, seeing a familiar new camera in her hands.

"I found it in your bag. I hope you don't mind." She said, Dani smiled softly and shook her head.

"I don't mind at all. It's the whole reason why my parents gifted it to us. To capture the memories worth keeping." Daniella admitted. A genuine smile appeared on the Cullen's faces, greatful to be accepted as memorable to the young human.

    Daniella noticed Emmett, Edward and Bella talking a bit away from them and Bella seemed a little off because of what Emmett had said. Something about dating an older woman? Dani waved it off as nothing before everyone joined together to give gifts to the girls.

    Dani and Bella stood in front of the Cullen Clan as Rosalie stepped forward and gave both of the girls a small box.

"It's a bracelet. Alice picked them out." She told them, Dani and Bella smiled at her.

"Thank you, Rosalie." Daniella said, looking into her eyes. Letting her know she was genuinely grateful.

"Okay, okay. I need a picture. Jasper. Edward. Go." Alice pushed them toward the twins. Dani laughed softly as they smiled for the picture. Jasper holding Daniella close to him.

"Okay, now, presents!" Alice said excitedly. Bella and Dani looked over to each other knowingly and they took the presents from a intricately decorated table with a huge cake.

"Alice, we're the only two people who will even eat this cake. This could feed at least twenty more." Bella told her with a smile.

"Hey! Speak for yourself." Daniella said, swiping a bit of the icing off the cake and eating it. "Oh my god, it's red velvet." Daniella said looking at Bella.

"No way.." Bella replied.

"Sorry, do you not like it? I thought-" Alice started to apologize.

    Dani and Bella burst out laughing as they each took a swipe of the cream cheese iceing.

"No, no, Alice. You did great. It's just a thing from when we were kids." Bella admitted.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked as the Cullen's each took their place in front of the twins. Bella laughed and began to explain.

"When we were little we had this formal party for our ballet class." Bella started, the memory making a smal laugh fall from her lips as well as Dani's, "We were dressed up in these.."Bella made a face and shook her head, "God-awful, white dresses." Dani smiled and continued the story.

"Well, at the party there was this huge, four tier, red velvet cake and, of course, we wanted some. So, me and Bella decided that instead of asking Mom for a piece, we'd get it ourselves. Me and Bella were no older than, what? Six?" Dani asked looking over to her twin getting a nod response, "Well, we tried to reach the cake, but we ended up pulling the tabel cloth and the entire cake tipped over onto me and Bella." Dani laughed.

    Bella wrapped an arm around her shoulders nodding, "Yeah, the music went completely silent, the talking stopped and we just sat there. Covered head to toe in red velvet cake and cream cheese icing. Dresses completely ruined just like the cake, but there was one up side to that day." Bella chuckled. Dani laughed and nodded.

"Hell yeah there was. We got the whole cake." Dani smiled at her twin sister.

    The Cullen's watched the smiling girls in front of them fondly as they told the story of their childhood.

"After that, Mom would never let us near a red velvet cake, but when she would go to work and leave us with a babysitter, or a friend we would always find our way to a red velvet cake." Bella told them, looking back over to the Cullen's. Daniella nodded and hugged her sister tightly, Bella not missing a beat as she hugged Dani back.

"I'm glad we found our way back to each other after everything in Arizona." Dani admitted to her sister.

"Me too, Dani. I'm sorry I never noticed how left out you felt all these years." Dani let out a breath, feeling as if a weight had been taken off of her shoulder's.

"Happy birthday, Bells." Dani muttered to her best friend, her sister.

"Happy birthday, D." Bella replied.