Saturday, July 18, 2009
Chapter 13. Baseball, Vampire Style


The weather turned out to be nice the next day. The sky was a rare baby blue, without a single cloud in sight. But the problem was easily solved with a little help from Liz, and our game was back on track.

The others raced off to the clearing while I ran upstairs to get a thicker jacket for Nessie. I didn’t want her to catch a cold while watching the game; not that the chances of a half vampire getting ill was high. But nevertheless, it made me feel slightly more assured.

Nessie hopped onto Edward’s back and we were off to the familiar clearing. Nessie squealed in delight as we ran through the thick underbrush. I smiled as I remembered the first time Edward showed me how he travelled in forest. It nearly scared the living hell out of me, not to mention the dizziness I felt afterward. Edward had to persuade me (I had no objection to his method of persuasion) before I could allow him to sling me over his back for the second time. I vaguely remembered fearing about hitting trees, dying and motion sickness.

My fears were absolutely unnecessary, I laughed to myself as I raced through the forest with Edward and Nessie by my side. I could see the leaves on each branch as we ran past them. Come to think of it, we could probably tell you the number of veins each leaf had. It was clear to that extent.

The forest slowly thinned out; the glow of light started to get brighter as we approached the clearing. I had a mixture of feelings when we finally reached our destination. So many things had happened here at this one spot; my first encounter with the deadly tracker James, the fight with Victoria’s newborn army; and the most recent, the showdown with the Volturi. The first two threats were now permanently eliminated, but Volturi will always remain as a danger element in our lives.

Edward set Nessie down by the rock and went to join the rest in the open field. I passed her the jacket and briefly explained to her the rules of the game. It was her first time watching baseball, the vampire style.

They had already split into two teams when by the time I finished explaining; Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett on one team, with the rest of the other. Liz and I were to play the role of umpire. It was my first baseball match after the change. But since the transformation had not eradicated my clumsiness, it was safer for me and the rest if I played the role of a referee or spectator. I watched as the rest took their places. Alice was to pitch first.

“Batter up.” I called out in a clear voice. A peal of thunder sounded in the distance, marking the start of the game. It was much more exciting to watch when you have vampire’s vision. You could catch every movement that human eyes would miss, like the speed at which the ball was flying. The players were no longer a blur as they ran around the bases.

“Out!” Liz called as Rosalie slid into the base a millisecond after Edward emerged from the edge of the forest, ball in his upraised hand. Nessie cheered and Rosalie stalked off sulkily, as the team changed its batter.

The inning continued as the thunderstorm rolled on. Occasionally, the thunder would rumble, threatening to come closer. Rain did come in at some point during the game, but it was not enough to bother the players. Besides, we had Liz on our side.

Xavier was a good batter, sometimes hitting harder than Emmett. There was once where he hit the ball so hard and far that he had managed homerun before Jasper could get the ball back in play. Of course, the other team had advantage, having Alice on their team. They never missed a ball with her catching. With her help, Emmett’s team was leading.

The score constantly changed as the game went on. Edward played intelligently as usual, closing the gap between the two teams’ scores. Surprisingly, they did not razz each other as often today. The game ended when the thunderstorm subsided. The sky was a brilliant orange as the sun slowly set.

“Spare me please.” Edward groaned when Liz announced the result. Emmett’s team had won by just one run.

“Yes!” Emmett then pulled his shirt over his head and began to run around the field like crazy. You’ll think that he had just won the Major League. Rosalie rolled her eyes while the rest laughed.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Nessie ran over to Edward and he scooped her up and whirled her around.

“Daddy was so great!” She exclaimed excitedly as she recounted her favourite moments. Nessie’s eyes were brimming with excitement and admiration. I smiled adoringly at her as I followed them back to the house.

***

1:41 PM