“Oh, come on, Bella,” snapped Rosalie.  “You’re not the center of the universe, you know. It’s as much Edward’s fault as it is yours that the Volturi are here.”

The silence echoed in the living room as I stared at Rosalie. She was right, of course, about it being my fault for wanting to wait.  But that didn’t mean I would let her speak to Bella that way. 

“Go mingle,” I growled.

We glared at each other and I said nothing more.

“I’ll come with you,” said Esme, taking Rosalie’s elbow. “We’ll send Jasper and Emmett inside.  They need to know.”

Esme’s features were arranged again before she reached the door.

A few moments later my brothers joined us, and Alice told them what she had seen. 

“Can we fight them?” asked Emmett, eyes flashing.

“No,” said Carlisle quickly.

“No,” agreed Jasper, pacing with his hands behind his back. “It’s the Volturi.  They’re stronger, there are more of them. And even if we somehow managed to destroy these twelve, there’d be more after us before sundown tomorrow.”

Carlisle nodded.

“And besides,” interjected Bella, her eyes sweeping passionately over each of us, “they probably only want what I want.  We shouldn’t fight them.”

“Of course,” said Carlisle, touching her arm.  “You’re right, Bella.  Let’s just wait and see why they’re here.”

We were quiet again, all of us, watching each other.  The others’ thoughts stumbled and lurched around me.  It was an impossible situation.  The not knowing was maddening, and I still wanted to pull Bella by the arm and carry her away from here.

“We should get back outside,” said Alice.  “Your guests will be wondering where the stars of the show have gone.”

“And our unexpected visitors will be here soon,” I said.

“That, too.”

I touched Alice’s hand.  “Thank you.”  There was nothing else to say.

She shrugged, once again the reluctant messenger.  But would the foreknowledge help us at all?

Bella and I went back outside and found a private spot next to a hemlock.  From the house, Alice’s music continued to pipe outdoors from our sound system.  The romantic melodies suddenly sounded out-of-place over Bella’s thudding heart.