Entry for the Straight thru the Heart Contest

Title: Another Time

Summary: I prayed for light and it came in the form of a Prince.

Pairing: Edward x Bella

Rating: M

Word count: 3,424

Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

The last glimmer of light is often obliterated by the rapidly falling darkness. Without notice the darkness surrounds me, much like the sight behind my closed eyelids.

I feel the night air as it faintly brushes against my skin, and the trees sway beautifully in the midst, protecting me from the heat of the setting sun. As the fading sun dies down, the stretch of blackness blankets the sky, and stars twinkle up ahead, shining in a merry way. With eyes closed to block out the changes in the sky, a smile makes its way to my face as it often does.

I enjoy the darkness where all imperfections can be hidden; my imperfections can be hidden.

Blinking eyes make way to the sight of the pictures of my imagination's creations. This is reality, and the sight before me is beautiful. I wish I were as beautiful... and maybe I am, at least on the outside. I'm as wondrously beautiful as the salmon-colored sky morphing to dark purple as the sun descends making way for the bright moon. On the inside however, there's only darkness. That's why I can relate. I can relate to the peace the night sky brings to the town because, as sad as it seems, the darkness inside of me is also comforting. It has been my constant whereas no one else has ever been. It sticks around while everyone else leaves. Darkness never leaves. I can close my eyes, and I'm there again, swimming in my ocean of deep sea darkness.

I blink up at the brilliant sky, noting how the jet black envelops the town like it has enveloped my heart, turning it to burning coal. But there is some good. Just as the ocean of black sky has luminous stars that flicker wonderfully up above, there's also a brightness within me always at the surface threatening to burst out, showing me that my darkness can be beautiful. I can make it just as beautiful as the stars adorning the spacious sky.

Do I want that? Do I want my outer beauty to seep inside? Do I dare take the risk?

As my mind begins to concoct an answer, my phone pings with a text.

Leaning back against the hood of my car, I take out my phone, holding it at eye level as I read the text from an unknown number.

6:15pm

Hey, princess.

I stare at it for a while trying to figure out who this person might be, but I come up blank.

6:15pm

Hi.

I quickly reply hoping to have an answer soon. My phone pings with a text, and in a flurry, I tap to read the message. In my clumsy rushed acts, the phone falls smack across my face.

Ouch!

Rubbing the sore spot as I adjust myself in my lying position, I read the message carefully.

6:16pm

Sorry, I think I texted the wrong number.

Nothing comes after that, and as sad as it sounds, I miss this stranger's random text.

I want to be someone's Princess. I want to be considered special to someone. Letting the darkness consume me forever is not particularly a dream of mine.

6:16pm

No wait ... come back! I can be your Princess.

I reply and smile because it sounds like something I'd say even if this wasn't to a complete stranger. I'm always this weird.

6:17pm

Lol. I'm sure you don't want to be my little sister. That's who the text is for.

This response makes me smile again. Does this mean this stranger is single and doesn't think I'm being completely weird?

6:17pm

Don't stop calling me Princess just because it's what you call your sister.

6:18pm

We will meet again another time. Promise.

The text, although from someone I don't know, causes my heart to thud in my chest. Such sweet words, I could cry, but the darkness would never allow that.

6:19pm

I love you.

I text before I can stop myself and snicker at the childishness of our little game.

For some reason, my text takes on a meaningful edge as the seconds tick by with no reply. Nervously, I bite my thumbnail and re-read our texts. My heart begins to gallop in my chest, and it doesn't do that jumpy, flippy thing for just anyone.

My phone pings with a reply.

6:20pm

I love you too, Princess.

I clutch my phone to my chest and close my eyes to the outer darkness, letting my imagination run free. I am free. To some, the darkness may seem like a place of bondage, but it's not the case with me. Darkness allows me to do whatever I want without shame. It's a way of viewing the world unlike anyone else. I am free in my actions, my way of thinking my entire life. Darkness allows this. It allows everything except the need to fall. Falling is not freeing. Falling is giving someone the power to break you. No one else will break me. No one else will have that power. Not ever again.

It's a rare cloudless day with the beaming light of the sun streaming brightly through the trees. The light bounces off the window of my car almost blinding me as I drive toward La Push beach.

At a red light, I take a moment to admire the blue of the sky. My lids close, my vision fading to black as the sleek sunrays beam upon my face. With open eyes, my gaze locks onto the shining blue allowing me to feed off its beauty. This is the kind of day that convinces me that I can take from the beauty and call it my own. Maybe I don't have to be dark forever. Maybe there is beauty to find within me.

The roaring of an engine and loud music breaks me free of my inward thoughts. I glance out my window at the source of the noise and see a car with a man in his early forties with a boy nearly my age in the passenger seat. The boy is singing loudly over the already loud music blasting from the stereo.

The man in the driver's seat looks a bit annoyed at the teenage boy's loud singing, but I can see that he also is enjoying the music as he lightly taps the steering wheel to the beat.

The boy looks at me, and the first thing I notice is how incredibly hot he is, and then I notice his arms and chest covered in tattoos, which is incredibly sexy. He looks at me in a very playful way and unfurls a drop dead gorgeous smile. Even as he continues to sing, he rolls his window down and turns to me.

"Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful

Oh Bennie she's really keen

She's got electric boots, a mohair suit

You know I read it in a magazine

Bennie and the Jets."

His singing and smiling, it's infectious, and I can't help but join in. It's not just his looks that do it for me, it's his total inhibition, much like mine. The recognition of a keen spirit lightens my dark areas and tugs at something within me.

"Bennie." I sing along with the song, and his smile brightens at my willingness to join him in the sing-along.

"Bennie," he sings, and we are literally grinning like idiots.

"Bennie," we sing together. "Bennie and the Jets."

The light turns green, and the driver takes off quickly, leaving me in the dust, confused and upset that our moment is over.

Later at the beach, I meet up with a group of girls from my school, "the populars." We prepare for a segment of the web show labeled "Social Experiment: X." I only agreed to this segment because my friend Rose just succeeded in her segment last week, and it was pretty embarrassing. She shouldn't have to do these segments back to back.

Last week, Rose's segment involved running around the school smacking guys on the butt. Then, she had to wait near them and catch their reaction on camera. She's an absolutely stunning woman so all was forgiven, and most of them even tried to hit on her. Her social experiment was complete.

If you're a beautiful woman, you can go around smacking boys on the butt and ninety-nine percent of them will be okay with it.

Today, my challenge-if I choose to accept it-will be to go to the beach pretending to be lost and needing directions. As the guy or girl attempts to direct me, I have to stealthily attempt to kiss them without their permission. If I successfully get one guy or girl to make out with me, my social experiment will be complete.

"Okay, Bella, are you ready to do this?" James, Victoria's boyfriend, asks me, the camera pointed directly in my face.

"Of course," is my quick reply as I ruffle my hair and run my middle finger across my lips checking that my lips aren't chapped. They are a bit so I lick them and turn to face Victoria. "Let's do this."

My eyes freely roam the crowded beach, thankful that I have a great selection of both girls and boys.

There's a boy approaching the water with a surfboard in hand, eyeing me as he passes. He sees the camera behind me and turns his attention back to the water, shaking his head. Everyone in town has heard about us, so I'm sure his reaction is due to the fact that he knows we are about to do something completely against the social order.

I run to catch up to him since he's the closest to me. Tapping his shoulder lightly with one finger to gain his attention turns out to not be such a great idea. He almost steps over me as if I wasn't there in the first place. I know that I'm a little on the short side, but dude had to see me walking beside him or even when I attempted to step in front of him as he took wide steps with long legs toward the wind-tossed waves of the ocean water.

"Hey," I say when he finally stops and really looks at me. He smiles and folds his arms across his chest, looking down at me from his height of nearly six foot five. He's cute, but in a very boyish way.

"You're camera girl," he points out, then looks over my shoulder at James, who has the lens pointed at us, but he's not near enough to be obvious.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I tell him, and he snorts and mouths "okay," looking down at the ground. "Honest to God. I just need directions."

"Where to?" He lifts his brows eager to help.

"You tell me. Are there any good sandwich shops nearby?" I ask him, putting on my flirty face, batting my lashes, swinging from side to side in a very damsel in distress sort of way.

His grin widens as he turns facing the entrance of the beach. His long arm points, and at that moment, I realize he's too tall for this plan to work.

"I can't hear you from up there," I tell him, and at this, he laughs and leans down but continues to point, trying to give me directions.

"Turn left and-" he says but stops short when my face comes within inches of his. He looks at me, frowning. "Did you just try to kiss me?"

"Mmm maybe..."

He stands back upright and glares at me. "That's weird." He shakes his head and starts back toward the ocean water, shaking his head at me.

"Fail!" James shouts from his position not too far from me.

"Oh, fuck off!" I shout back, and he bursts into laughter. Victoria doesn't look amused or impressed, which I find irritating. This is supposed to be fun, but she makes it seem like a job.

I move from guy to guy getting close to a kiss, but they either walk away laughing or are so freaked out they ask if I am mentally challenged.

One girl lets me get close enough to peck her cheek, but she calls it quits at anything more.

"That's all you're getting, babe," she said, winking before running off to another girl, throwing her arm around her waist.

"This is harder than I thought," I voice to James and Victoria.

"It's because you look like a creep," Victoria says with no inflection, all monotone and serious.

"I thought that was the point. Would you let a random creep kiss you?" I tell her and watch her roll her eyes at my idiotic statement.

"You being a stranger trying to kiss a stranger while said stranger is giving you directions are what makes you a creep," James clarifies, only solidifying the impossible nature of my task.

"One out of one hundred of these losers has to be a free spirit," I say as I scan the crowd for what seems like the millionth time.

I see a mass of glistening, wet, bronze hair with a hand strolling through it, and my eyes zone in on the handsome face to match.

I approach him just as he's taking a seat on a rock, running a towel through his hair.

"Hey, can I bother you for directions?" I ask in a squeaky voice.

"Sure," he replies, slightly out of breath as he continues his task. He doesn't even look up. Perfect. I sit next to him on the rock, once again gawking at his tattooed covered body. I lean close to him, our bodies touching, and wait for a response of any kind from him. He doesn't move away.

"My friends and I are looking for somewhere good to eat. Any suggestions?" I ask him, biting the corner of my lip nervously, hoping he looks over at me at some point. He doesn't; he continues to rub his hair, face, and neck dry.

I roll my eyes, having enough of this already, and I go in for the kill. I lean close and kiss the corner of his mouth, just one peck and pull back. He freezes altogether.

His reaction isn't quite as bad as the others, so I move in closer for a more thorough kiss, and his response is immediate. He turns and grabs my face with both hands, the towel all but forgotten in the sand beneath our feet.

His full lips are soft... so soft I could kiss him forever. The tips of our tongues touch, igniting a spark within us too great to ignore. That's when the frenzy begins, and we all but forget where we are.

He pulls me into his lap, and I straddle him as his hands roam the expanse of my back, moving down to the curve of my swimsuit-covered ass.

He squeezes and I moan, shoving my hands into his hair to pull him closer and to give him some indication as to how good he kisses... how good he feels.

His growl pulls me back into the present. I realize that my mission is complete, and I should hop off of this stranger, but I don't want to. He makes me feel so good. His kiss chases away the darkness, filling me with a heat of passion and so much more. It's indescribable, and it's scary.

I pull away from him, opening my eyes to get a better look. His eyes are slowly blinking open just as there is a tap on my shoulder.

"You don't have to rub it in. We got it," James says from behind me.

The stranger looks up at James and frowns, his eyes then meet mine and they widen.

"It's you," he says. His words cause a memory from earlier in the day to rush back to me. "The Bennie and the Jets girl."

"You two know each other?" Victoria asks, moving around James to stand beside us. I hop off of the stranger's lap and fold my arms across my chest, uttering the word "no" as he says "yes."

I do remember him, but I don't want to have to redo this challenge with a hundred more people. I'm exhausted.

"I sang to you this morning," he says as he stands and walks toward me.

"This doesn't count, Bella," Victoria says, and Edward turns to her, his brows drawn together.

"Bella," he says, turning his attention back to me. He smiles that same smile from this morning, and my heart thunders in my chest. "That's your name?"

I nod and his smile brightens.

"Are you two done having goo-goo eyes for each other? Can Bella get back to her job?" Victoria rolls her eyes and stomps away, pulling James by the arm. I follow, turning my attention from the handsome stranger.

"Job?" he follows behind us causing Victoria to look back and huff. "Your job is to kiss random boys on the beach?"

"No, this isn't a job. It's a social experiment, and you're messing it up for me," I mumble, shooting him side glances.

He stops walking and reaches for my arm, halting my steps. "Can I have your number?"

With obvious displeasure, I back away from his advance out of fear. "I don't do that. Well, I try not to anyway."

He grins and takes out his phone. "Take a chance on me."

"I can't. I got-ta go." I wave as I back away, but he reaches for me again.

"Come on, I sang for you. I don't do that for just anyone." His smile widens causing a smile of my own to spread across my face.

Looking away, trying to hide the fact that his smile affects me, I reply in a low voice, "I doubt that. Boys with your face probably do that all the time."

He reaches out and taps my hand with his phone. I look up in time to see him licking his lips. "You're wrong about me."

"It's a possibility, but better safe than sorry, right?" I ask with outstretched arms as I take another steady step away from him.

He comes forward matching my step. "You don't seem like the same carefree girl I sang with earlier. She would give me her number."

"Bella!" Victoria calls loudly in a very rude and demanding way. With the roll of my eyes, I turn to face her.

"One second." I turn back to the boy who is quite determined to have my number. "Look, I'll give it to you if you promise to go away."

"Deal," he replies, looking at me expectantly with his phone in his hands.

I rattle off my number one by one and watch as he grins from ear to ear in victory. Then all of a sudden, his eyebrows rise practically into his hairline and shock registers on his face.

"No fucking way! Princess?" he asks, looking up at me, his mouth open and eyes wide in shock.

"What?"

"Check your phone, Princess. This is going to blow your mind."

I do as he says, taking my phone out to look at it. I have a new text message.

The words displayed across my screen from an unsaved number cause my heart to thaw, and I allow myself to take a risk. I allow just a bit of light to creep into my dark soul. This boy is full of light. It shines brightly through him and threatens to break down all of my defenses.

Light will overshadow darkness, and I have been conditioned to protect myself from that. However, now that I have basically received a sign from the gods, I know for sure that following the lit path can be an okay thing to do. The light can be just as fun, right? Just as freeing?

Truth is... I prayed for light, and I see now that it came in the form of a Prince.

So, as I stare down at the text, I know now that vulnerability and discomfort are okay and baring my flaws is an okay thing to do. Last night, I showed my weird side to a complete stranger, and I did the same again today during the car ride to the beach.

The gods saw fit that my darkness is flushed away, misery and loneliness all bathed in light. Light floods my insides with just one text.

12:30pm

I told you we would meet again another time.

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